Through the Years
by Money Stax
Summary: Slice-of-life story of a group of children at a trainer's school over the course of four years. They will grow into adults along with their Pokemon and deal with the issues that they are forced to encounter in order to become good trainers. As the trainers grow, so will the Pokemon. It will be not be an easy journey. Told from the eyes of nine different trainers every year.
1. The Mascot

**The Mascot**

_Mike, pretty good job today, but make sure you work on your balance some more. You'll be able to perform much better if you can get yourself adjusted to your height. Gymnastics are going to be a bit more difficult for you since you're taller now, but I know you'll pull through. We're going jogging at six A.M. sharp, so be prepared. Bring Electabuzz and I'll have Vigoroth help him out. See ya then. - Elyse_

Mike Snowe read over the message that his friend had sent to him on the pokégear and nearly collapsed on the grass in his backyard. Elyse's exercise routines were brutal, but she was the only one he knew who could help him. The fourteen year old boy had grown several inches over the past year, most noticeably over the course of the summer, and was having trouble performing most of his stunts that he carried out as the mascot for Saffron Trainers School.

He remembered how he had tried out to be on the school's battling team two years earlier at the age of twelve, but had been outclassed by all of his friends. It wasn't that he was a bad trainer by any means, it was just that all of his friends were much better. Still, the coach knew of his gymnastic background and that, combined with the fact that he was the only one who was small enough to fit inside the costume, resulted in Mike becoming Polly the Poliwhirl. The coach said that he was the only one with the 'charisma' to pull off such a 'prestigious' task, but Mike thought that he was full of hot air. The boy was reluctant to do the job at first, but overtime started to enjoy being the school's mascot. He still wanted to be the best trainer in Saffron, but there was no reason why he couldn't have fun while he worked towards that goal.

"Elek-I mean, Electabuzz," Mike said to the Pokémon fumbling around by the tree. "I think Elyse McKinley is trying to kill me."

Electabuzz attempted to walk towards his trainer, but almost immediately tripped and crashed into Mike, sending them both tumbling onto the grass. Mike dug the twigs and leaves out of his mop of light brown hair and helped Electabuzz to his feet. He had only recently evolved and Mike felt as if the two of them were basically experiencing the same thing in trying to get adjusted to their new sizes.

"_Hey, Mike! You here?!"_

"Yeah!" he called back to the voice. "Just let me open the-

"_Kadabra, teleport!"_

In a flash, Mike found himself staring face-to-face with his oldest friend, Ellie Morris, and her Kadabra. He stumbled back a bit from the shock of the teleportation, but managed to keep himself from tripping as Ellie let out a few snickers. She knew that he hated when she used Kadabra to teleport directly in front of him, so of course she did it as often as she could.

"You know, Ellie, you could have just wait for me to open the-"

"_Mike!"_

He heard the sound of someone beating on the gate, but before he could go to open it, the boy on the other side, decided to jump over the gate. While his Gabite landed on his feet, Drake did not fare so well and ended up falling on his face. Ellie went over to help him to his feet as he knocked the grass out of his tanned face.

"Well, Drake, it looks like I beat you racing to the arcade," Ellie started. "And then I beat you at the arcade, and _then_ I beat you to Mike's house."

"But you can't beat me in battle, spiky-hair," Drake replied smoothly with a grin on his face. "Nothing else even matters."

"He does have a point," Mike added.

It had been the same since they were four years old. Drake couldn't beat Ellie in anything be it racing, grades, or even pie-eating competitions. Luckily for Drake, there was one exception, and that was battling. Drake was possibly the best battler in their year with others on the school's battling team like Ellie, Elyse, and Loki Del Grove close behind him. However, once Gible had evolved into Gabite, Drake had practically left the others in the dust. Despite the fact that some of their Pokémon eventually managed to evolve as well, it was still quite the challenge to go up against Drake Hicks.

"Coach put both of us on the upper school's intermediate team," Drake explained, removing the remaining dirt from his curly, dark hair. "Elyse and Loki made it on yesterday."

"Speaking of Elyse..." Ellie continued as she looked Mike over, her emerald green eyes narrowing as she noticed the state of her friend's condition. "It looks like she's been working you to the bone."

"Yeah, she's tough..." Mike replied, turning his attention to Electabuzz, who was now arm wrestling with Gabite while Kadabra refereed. "But she's the only one of our friends who really knows gymnastics."

"You just better make sure you're not spending _too_ much time with her," Drake teased. "The last thing you want to do is piss Relena off. We all know from experience that she can scrap like an actual fighting type."

Mike let out a laugh at Drake's comparison. Relena Serene was the fourth member of their group, she and Mike having become a couple at the end of their first year at S.T.S. Relena was a skilled coordinator, but she was primarily known throughout the school for her terrible temper. For the most part, her default mood was relatively benign until someone managed to upset her. After that, all bets were off and she could easily cross the line into being completely irrational. It didn't help that she knew how to fight better than her Pokémon. Mike and Ellie could cool her down, but the only thing that could truly calm her was music. She was eventually required to see a psychiatrist or risk losing her trainer's license which Mike thought was a bit overboard.

"Relena should be out from coordinating team tryouts," Ellie told the boys. "She said she would meet us at Big Bidoof's. You guys ready to head off?"

"Sure," Drake said. "Mike, wanna tell your folks to lock the gate?"

Mike shook his head. "They won't know I'm gone. Mom's probably in there trying outfits on the baby while Dad takes pictures. The only member of my family who even knows I exist anymore is Julie and she's already left back for school. Whatever though, I don't care."

"Alright then..." Ellie stated, hoping to drop the topic. "Kadabra, let's go."

The Pokémon were too busy with their field games. Electabuzz and Gabite appeared to be sparring with one another and Mike could swear that they were actually trash talking each other. Kadabra was making his way inside the tree house and Mike could only imagine what he planned to do once he was in.

"Eh, they're having fun," Drake said. "Let's leave them here. We have other Pokémon if we get into anything."

Mike was reluctant to leave without Electabuzz. Crobat wasn't the issue as she was always well-behaved, but Wartortle had been acting extremely moody lately. It was easier to control an erratic Pokémon with another Pokémon that had a type advantage over it, but if push came to shove, Crobat could more than handle herself. Mike wondered if he was being paranoid. It was not as if Wartortle had actually _done_ anything wrong, so there was not really any real issue to worry about.

"Alright, let's go then," he agreed. "Hey, Electabuzz, we'll be back soon!"

* * *

If there was one thing that could cheer Mike up after a long, backbreaking, day of training was seeing Relena smiling at him. He thought she was much prettier when she didn't have such a nasty scowl on her face. Although, Relena would be a beauty regardless. She had long, wavy blonde hair with a few streaks dyed brown, deep blue eyes, and slightly pale skin. Like Mike, she had gotten a bit taller, though not anywhere near the same effect as him. Most of Relena's growth had really taken place in _other_ areas which Mike quickly took notice of, though he made a conscious effort not to ogle.

She had gotten their usual booth for them at _Big Bidoof's Burgers, _the local hangout for the students that attended S.T.S. Mike had good memories of the place, mostly the delicious fried foods that Elyse unsuccessfully tried to limit him from. There were also bad memories as Mike could not-so-fondly remember all the altercations he had inside the restaurant with the school bullies two years ago. He hadn't seen any of them around in a while, but knew that their paths would cross once again when he started attending the upper school. However, he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind as he, Ellie, and Drake took their seats.

"I paid for all your food," Relena remarked as they sat down. "You're welcome."

"Thanks, Rel," Drake said, his mouth already half full with his burger.

"Slow down, Drake, you're going to choke," Relena joked as she turned to face Mike. "Babe, are you okay? You look half-dead. I'd hate to have to go and introduce Elyse to the concrete."

"I'm fine," Mike answered. "How was coordinating tryouts."

"Good news and bad news," Relena said. "The good news is that Togetic was so amazing at tryouts that I was the first one to make the team. The bad news is-"

"Felicity?" Ellie finished and Relena nodded her head. "We can relate. Drake and I are going to have to deal with Johnny and Xander...and Nat..."

That last name Ellie spat with venom that Mike found even scarier than Relena's outbursts. Of course, he thought she was completely justified considering what had happened between Ellie and Nathaniel St. James last year. It seemed that old problems would rear their heads once more.

"Don't look now, Mike," Drake suddenly interjected and pointed at a small table across the restaurant. "But the 'Prince of Darkness' and his girl are sitting right over there. And he's giving you the murder eyes."

Mike sighed in irritation and turned to face the person that Drake was talking about. His hazel eyes met the dark eyes of Ace Torres. Their eyes were not the only difference between the two boys. Ace had curly, black hair whereas Mike had a mop of straight, light brown hair. Ace was fair where Mike was olive and until recently, Ace had been tall for his age while Mike had been short for his. The two boys could not be any more different in both appearance and personality, but while Mike couldn't care any less about Ace, the other boy outright hated Mike. Ace's Mightyena snarling at Mike from his trainer's feet did little to help the situation.

"What is his problem with me?" Mike asked, turning back to his friends. "I accidentally spilled his juice one time when we were seven and the guy hates me forever."

"Screw him," Drake told him. "He's a big crybaby who blows everything out of proportion and thinks that calling himself 'Ace' and wearing all those dark clothes make him look cool. I just want to know how he managed to get Amy Spade, but I'm still struggling with Nadine. He must have her under some sort of spell."

"Or maybe she genuinely likes him?" Ellie remarked, hoping to be a voice of reason for her more hot-tempered friends. "And don't you guys remember that Mike's Elekid actually evolved during a battle with Ace's Mightyena? Ace did have the battle won until that happened."

Ace's girlfriend, Amy, was trying to avert his attention from the group, but was failing. Drake responded by giving the other boy the middle finger while Ellie face-palmed and Mike could feel Relena beginning to tense up.

"What the hell are you staring at?!" she finally yelled across the restaurant.

"Nothing..." Amy replied in a gentle tone hoping to defuse the situation.

"Well, it looks like you're staring at us!" Relena yelled back, this time even louder.

"Like she said," Ace finally spoke. "Nothing..."

Relena immediately stepped over Mike, stomping on his toes in the process, and tried to rush across the restaurant. She was quickly restrained by Drake before she could get too far. Ace's Mightyena had risen to his feet and the other customers were beginning to focus their attention on the scene that was unfolding. Mike hopped up from the booth, clenching his left foot in pain.

"You should keep your girlfriend on a leash, clown," Ace remarked without any hint of emotion as he stood up from his table. "She's almost as ridiculous and childish as you are."

Mike could typically ignore Ace, but after an exhausting day, the other boy's mere presence irritated him and insulting Relena was the icing on the cake. Even Mightyena's threatening growls did not intimidate him at the moment.

"I'm a clown, huh?" Mike started as he approached Ace. "Well, this ridiculous, childish, clown kicked your ass in battle two months ago and you should probably watch your mouth before this clown kicks your ass for real."

"Alright, that's enough," Ellie said, stepping in between the two boys before things could escalate even further. "Mike, sit down. Ace, back off."

Amy grabbed onto Ace's hand. "Come on, walk me home..."

"Mightyena..." Ace said after a moment of hesitation. "We're leaving, let's go..."

Ellie let out a sigh of relief, obviously happy that she managed to keep everything under control. Once Ace and Amy were out of the restaurant, Drake released Relena from his grip and gave Mike a pat on the back.

"Look at you, trying to be all serious!" he remarked with a grin as they retook their seats in the booth. "You should have spin kicked him in the face or whatever you gymnasts do in fights."

"Not helping, Drake," Ellie told him. "Look, Mike-"

She was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. She answered it, but after repeating 'hello' over and over, it was clear that the person on the other end of the phone had hung up.

"Okay, that's it," Ellie said aloud. "This has been going on all summer. Someone keeps calling me from a different phone number and hanging up when I answer. I'm going to find out who keeps trying to prank me."

"You think it's a prank?" Mike questioned. "Are you sure?"

"What else would it be?" Drake asked in a confused tone. "I think the prank is that whoever is doing this is forcing us to listen to your lame ringtone. That's scary enough."

"Wait, you guys think it could be something more serious?" Ellie said.

"Could be," Relena added. "I think you should at least tell your dad."

Ellie nodded her head. "Alright, you guys do have a point. Guess it wouldn't hurt for me to take this a bit more seriously, but I still think that it's probably someone playing a joke on me. Now-"

This time she was interrupted by a phone going off again. Ellie frowned when she thought it was hers, but relaxed when it turned out to be Relena's.

"_Hello...Mom...Yeah, I'm fine...Huh?...Okay, okay, I'll meet you there!"_

Relena hung up the phone and saw the confused looks on her friends' faces.

"Everything okay?" Mike asked.

"My mom and dad want me to meet them at the shrink's," she explained. "I think they're going to tell me that I'm finally done with anger management. I hope so. I've made a lot of progress if I do say so myself."

Drake was about to say something, but was quickly silenced by Ellie pinching his arm. Mike mouthed a thank you to her as Relena climbed over him so that she could leave. Giving Mike a quick kiss on the lips, she waved goodbye to her friends and headed out of the restaurant.

"We better get going too," Drake stated. "Mom's playing the lottery again and she wants the whole family there on the one-in-a-billion chance that she'll actually win this time. I need to hurry up and go pick up Gabite from your house before it gets too late. Come on, El."

"You coming, Mike?" Ellie asked.

"You guys go on," he told them. "I think I'm going to order some more curly fries before I head out..."

* * *

Mike looked at the empty plate in front of him. He remembered years ago when he and his Squirtle would compete against his older sister and her Pokémon to see who could eat all of their curly fries first. Julie and whichever Pokémon she chose to be her second always came up short against Mike and Squirtle. They were the kings of curly fries back then, but those days had long since past. Mike had gotten older, Squirtle had evolved, and both of them had more important things to worry about.

Making his way out of the restaurant, Mike started home. The neon lights of Saffron City shined brightly in the young night and the streets were as busy as they had been during the day. Mike felt a familiar sensation, but could not tell what is was exactly.

Some people found large cities like Saffron to be too loud, too bright, and have too much activity going on, preferring the peace and tranquility of smaller towns. Mike was different though. He loved the excitement and the quality of entertainment found in big cities. There was never a dull moment in cities like Saffron, Celadon, and Goldenrod. He saw himself eventually moving to other large cities much further away when he got older. Places like Nimbasa City in Unova or Lumiose City in Kalos were all possibilities for Mike. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"_Michael, where have you been?"_

"I was out with my friends, Dad. I've been gone for hours, are you just now noticing?"

"_...Of course not..."_

"Real convincing..."

"_Listen, son, since you're out, do you mind stopping by the store and bringing home some diapers for Tori? She's on her last one and she just ate, so you might want to hurry_."

"Actually, Dad, I do mind."

"_I'll pay you back when you get home. Thanks, love you."_

"Wait, I-"

Mike groaned when he heard the dial tone. The baby herself was not the real problem. Tori didn't cry too much or really annoy Mike in anyway despite the fact that he had been hoping for a little brother. It was his parents who had become irritating. They paid him too much attention before the baby came and after she was born, they paid him too little attention. Mike thought that he should ease up on them especially after Julie mentioned that she experienced the same thing after he had been born. Still, with school starting again soon along with a host of other things, he thought it would be nice to have a little support.

"There's a store right up here..." Mike said to himself as he increased his pace. "If I go there, get the diapers and take the shortcut home, I should make it before the baby uses up her last one...hopefully."

It only took Mike a good five minutes to go into the store, buy the diapers, and leave. However, once he started home on the shortcut, he quickly noticed himself being followed by a large black truck. He thought he was being paranoid at first, but as he increased his pace, so did the truck. When he turned a corner, the truck followed him. He eventually took off running, the bag of diapers clenched tightly in his hand as he ran straight into a dead end. The truck blocked the only exit and Mike prepared himself for what he might face.

There were two of them, both older than him. The first one was a tall, well-built young man with shaggy, dark brown hair, broad shoulders and muscles that were clearly on display thanks to his sleeveless shirt. He was slightly pale and lifted his sunglasses to reveal a pair of bluish-gray eyes that Mike knew all too well. His smile cut the younger boy like a knife and it seemed as if he had started growing facial hair.

The second boy was about as tall as the first one with darker skin, light brown eyes, and dark hair hidden underneath his skullcap. He seemed to have developed more of a lean, athletic build than the last time Mike had seen him. He had his usual look of indifference, but he seemed slightly surprised to actually see Mike.

"No way..." the first boy said. "It's really you. Looks like Midget Mike is now...Medium Mike. I mean you're still not as tall as us."

"Craig Kelton and Johnny Hawkins," Mike greeted, trying his hardest to keep his wits. "It feels like it was just yesterday when you guys were throwing me in the garbage. Where does the time go?"

"I see you're still pretty funny," the first boy continued. "If I danced around in a sweaty Poliwhirl costume like an idiot, I guess I'd have a sense of humor too."

"You should try it some time, Craig," Mike told him. "Maybe it'll let off some of that aggression that you always seem to be carrying around."

Craig let out a laugh and Mike gulped. Craig and Johnny were definitely not like Ace. Ace annoyed him, but Craig terrified him. Johnny was the captain of the intermediate battling team at their school and was basically Drake if he were even more skilled, more of a show-off, and less caring. Craig, on the other hand, was a known juvenile delinquent and was probably the strongest trainer among the group of in-coming third and fourth year students at S.T.S. Unless he was angry, he almost always seemed to speak in a polite tone whether he was asking you for the time or getting ready to ruin your day.

"Come on, Craig," Johnny told him. "You wanted to scare him a bit and we did. Let's get out of here. Jen's been on my case about doing stuff like this."

"How about we do it like we did two years ago?" Craig said as he reached for a poké ball. "You beat me in a battle, you're free to go."

Mike frowned. "I'm not the same gullible twelve year old kid that you think you can just overpower, greaseball. Move your truck and let me get home. I have diapers to deliver. That's suffering enough, don't you think?"

"We heard you beat that freak, Ace, in a battle earlier this summer and that your Elekid evolved," Craig replied as he tossed the ball in the air. "I figured I'd let you know that you weren't the only one who had a Pokémon that evolved."

"_Niiii..."_

Mike's eyes widened as he heard a low growl and the white light in front of him materialized. Seeing a Nidoking from far away was scary enough, but seeing one so close up was frightening. Getting past Craig and Johnny was one thing, but it would be impossible to get past the hulking monster that was in front of him. Electabuzz was back at home and would not have an effect on Nidoking anyway and Crobat wouldn't be very effective either. There was only one choice that was available. However, before he could even reach for the poké ball, Wartortle emerged on his own, ready to fight.

"Um...okay," Mike said. "Wartortle, get ready for-"

Wartortle instantly went on the offensive, slamming into Nidoking repeatedly with an _aqua tail_. The intensity of the spirals of water spouting from Wartortle's tail had all three boys shielding their eyes. Even Nidoking was having a bit of trouble as he attempted to block the move,

"_Focus energy_," Craig commanded.

Mike could see the aura surrounding Nidoking and knew that Wartortle needed to get some distance before Craig enacted whatever he had planned. Nidoking did look a bit damaged, so at least Wartortle's impulsive super-effective attack was having some sort of result.

"Alright, Wartortle," Mike told him. "Move back a bit and let's try for a _water pulse._"

To Mike's surprise, Wartortle listened without any issue. He tucked his head and somersaulted towards his trainer, a trick that Mike had taught all of his Pokémon. Wartortle quickly formed an orb of water in his hands and sent it flying at Nidoking with enough force to actually send the large Pokémon to the ground.

"Not bad..." Johnny remarked.

"Whatever!" Craig shouted. "Nidoking, shake it off and get up!"

Nidoking rose to his feet and Mike wondered what it would take to get this behemoth down. Wartortle seemed to be getting angrier by the second and looked like he would do anything to keep Nidoking from winning the battle.

"Go for another-"

"_Thunderbolt!_" Craig interrupted quickly.

Wartortle was promptly zapped by a jolt of electricity, much to Mike's surprise. He knew that the _focus energy_ from earlier increased the amount of damage that Wartortle had received and the Pokémon struggled to recover. Craig had definitely improved in battling. In the past, he just simply overpowered his opponents, but now he was actually using strategies which was going to make dealing with him even more of a pain.

"Wartortle, are you-"

Wartortle rushed towards Nidoking, once more blindingly hitting _aqua tail_ after _aqua tail_ on the larger Pokémon. Most of them were missing and Wartortle was getting more and more fatigued by the second.

"Thrash!" Craig ordered.

"Wartortle!" Mike called out. "Stand back, now!"

"_Waaaar!"_

Wartortle turned to face Mike, snapping at his trainer in defiance. The surprise of Wartortle's open disobedience sent Mike into a stunned silence. Nidoking, however, was not deterred. Grabbing the nearly physically exhausted Pokémon by his furry tail, Nidoking slammed Wartortle against the alley wall several times before finishing him off by tossing him to the ground in front of his trainer's feet. Mike simply recalled Wartortle without a word.

"Look like that's it," Craig stated, recalling Nidoking as well. "A bit more challenging than our last battle, but even though your Pokémon are stronger, they obviously don't see you as anyone worthy of respect. Kind of pathetic if you ask me."

"Wartortle's close to evolving," Johnny added. "If he's not listening to you now, you're in for hell once Blastoise comes along."

"Just let me leave..." Mike mumbled.

Craig laughed. "You lost because you're a garbage trainer. And, well, a garbage trainer belongs in the garbage, don't you think?"

"Oh, please," Mike groaned. "Not this again. Come on, guys."

Craig gave a look to Johnny, who simply shrugged his shoulders in apathy and stood back to watch the show. Grinning, the older boy hoisted Mike above his shoulders and slowly walked towards the dumpster that was in the alley. Using a free hand, Craig managed to get the lid open, but was having a bit of trouble keeping Mike within his grasp as the younger boy had gotten a lot bigger since last time. After a few more seconds of struggling, Mike succeeded in getting free and slid behind Craig. The moment the delinquent turned around, Mike drove his knee into the boy's crotch.

"_Aaaaaah!_" Craig howled in pain as he dropped to his knees.

Mike took off running, grabbing the bag of diapers and passing by Johnny before he could even react. Craig was shouting every curse word in the book at Mike as he managed to slide underneath the truck and roll until he was on the other side. Quickly, he got to his feet and sprinted away.

"You're dead, Mascot Boy!" he heard Craig yell from a distance.

Mike did not care though. Craig could throw him in a dumpster every day for the next year and it would not take away the satisfaction he had gained by getting the best of the bully. He knew that there was no way that he could have pulled off his stunt without Elyse's training and made a note to thank her when he saw her in the morning.

"Son!" his father greeted him warmly when he finally arrived home. Electabuzz was standing right beside him, happy to see that his trainer made it home safely. "What took you? What did you get into?"

"Nothing, Dad," Mike replied as he tried to catch his breath. "Just another day in my life..."

* * *

**A/N: So, definitely much more than last time. Not too much has changed, but there are a few different things. I look forward to this revamp.**

**P.O.V. Characters: Mike Snowe**

**Main Characters that appeared: Ellie Morris, Drake Hicks, Relena Serene, Ace Torres, Amy Spade, Craig Kelton, Johnny Hawkins**

**As always, come to the forum if you want to chat about this revamp or anything else, really. **

**Until next time! **


	2. Morning Misadventures

**Morning Misadventures**

Multitasking was something that Elyse McKinley had always been good at and today was no exception. It was the first day of school and she was already on the phone with her friend and past student body vice-president, Loki Del Grove. They were discussing their strategies for running for student council again while Elyse brushed her teeth, got dressed and curled her hair. Her Vigoroth – whom she affectionately referred to as Po – was in the exercise room nearby and she was constantly monitoring him to make sure he did not accidentally harm himself with the equipment.

"Okay, Loki," Elyse said into her phone. "You said you had some ideas for our slogan?"

"_Yeah! __How about McKinley-Del Grove: Swag4life?"_

"Are you serious?"

"_Hell yeah, I'm serious. This is the upper school now. We're in the big leagues, we gotta hit 'em hard if we want to win."_

"Alright, we'll talk more about this when we see each other at school..."

Hanging up the phone, Elyse finished getting ready and went to check on Po. The two of them had grown much closer since his evolution from Slakoth to Vigoroth. They now shared the same love of competition and training and Elyse enjoyed the time they spent together. She knew that Po would eventually evolve into Slaking one day and would return to his previous lazy nature, but their bond would not be broken.

"I think you've gone through every machine in here _twice_," she told her Pokémon with a smile. "You know, it's okay to rest. I kind of have to tell myself the same thing from time to time. How about we go down stairs and get you a snack?"

Po nodded his head enthusiastically and the two of them made their way down the stairs. Elyse's mother had already departed for work while her father and older sister were still in their rooms getting ready for their day. As she fed Po his snack, Elyse thought about Loki's words and how they were in the 'big leagues' now. She would have to double her efforts in her training and studying, but that was not an issue for her. She always had to stretch her body and mind to its limits compared to her naturally gifted friends. Elyse would read entire chapters weeks in advance in order to get a perfect score on a test, whereas Ellie could barely crack open a book and still pass the same test with an equal or higher grade. She would stay up through nights trying to come up with strategies to win all her battles, while Drake could perform a clean sweep even if he had spent the last several days goofing off. She spent hours learning new gymnastic techniques and maneuvers, but Mike could see a move once and have it down in a few minutes. Everyone had something that they were the 'best' at, but Elyse was satisfied with her 'jack-of-all-trades, 'best at being able to do a lot of things' reputation, though she thought that there was always room for improvement. Ultimately, it would all lead up to her being the best trainer in Saffron.

"_Morning, baby sis."_

Amelie entered the kitchen, obviously in her usual joyful mood. The two McKinley sisters resembled each other a bit as far as appearances went. They both had the same prominent bright blue eyes that everyone considered their 'signature' feature and they shared the same slim build. Elyse had their mother's blonde locks and their father's tanned complexion while Amelie had their father's strawberry blond hair and their mother's pale skin. Aside from those few characteristics, it was quite hard to tell them apart from a distance.

While their personalities and goals did not exactly clash, there was a noticeable difference. Elyse was primarily focused on realizing her true potential and improving herself to the best of her abilities while Amelie was primarily focused on helping _everyone_ else improve as well as improving the world itself.

"I heard you talking on the phone," Amelie stated as she began peeling an orange. "You know if you're planning to run for student-body president, you'll be up against yours truly."

"Oh, I know," Elyse replied with a grin. "It's going to be quite the race. Everyone at S.T.S. will be talking about how _yours truly_ dethroned her older sister. After I win, I'll let you be my assistant. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Amelie answered. "When I win, you make sure to make my smoothies the way me and my Pokémon like them."

The two of them laughed loudly. If there was only one person in the world that Elyse could joke around with, it would be Amelie. It was always easier to be a bit more relaxed around her than at school. Elyse enjoyed competition and Amelie was more than a worthy opponent.

"May the best woman win," she told her older sister as she extended her hand.

Amelie smiled and shook her hand. "Don't worry, she will..."

"_Elyse! Elyse! Open the door! Open the door! Open the door! Come on, hurry up! Hurryuphurryuphurryup!"_

"_For the love of Arceus, please open the door so she can stop!"_

"_Hey, Ams, please tell me there is some food! I'm starving!"_

Elyse opened the door and her best friend, Nadine Mills, rushed in. Her other best friend, Lillyvanth Acres, came in behind her with Amelie's best friend, Lyndon Tower, strolling in as well and immediately going to the refridgerator.

Nadine was often considered to be the best-looking girl in their year, along with Relena Serene and Elyse herself, and it was easy to see why. Her dark hair contrasted beautifully with her blue eyes and pale skin and there was only one thing that really repelled boys from her. 'Motor-Mouth Mills' was a derogatory nicknamed that Nadine had earned due to her inability to talk slow or ever close her mouth. She could be exhausting to some people, but Elyse enjoyed her energetic personality and liked having her around.

Of the three girls, Lilly had undergone the most change in both appearance and personality. Two years ago she had been a wallflower with little confidence. Thanks to being around Elyse and Nadine, she had become much more outgoing and self-assured. She was now the tallest in the group and her sandy blonde hair had grown long and wavy with her bangs dyed red. Even her clothing had changed into more of a rocker style to reflect her increased concentration on her music.

"Oh, Amelie's here too!" Nadine said excitedly as she handed her a magazine. "Check it out, your friend made the cover!"

Elyse peered over to see what she was talking about. Nadine had handed Amelie a copy of _Pokéteen_, a successful magazine aimed at teenage trainers. Elyse did not really care for it, but Amelie was a lover of magazines no matter what the content usually was. On the cover was a Venusaur using _petal blizzard. _Standing above the Venusaur, in the midst of the pink petals was a beautiful girl with porcelain white skin, smoky dark eyes, and stunning white-blonde hair pulled back into a tight elaborate braid, nearly reaching the middle of her back. She had a thin body and the freckles across her nose only enhanced her beauty.

"I don't know if I'd call Felicity a 'friend', Nadine," Amelie told her. "More like...a person I've been forced to interact with since I was four years old."

"_And Lyndon has been eating all of our food since you were three..."_

Elyse had not notice their father enter the room. She assumed that he would be in a rush to get to work downtown, but he seemed to be taking his time today which was unusual. She had inherited his work ethic, but it was Amelie who had taken after his idealistic and optimistic demeanor. He gave everyone a warm smile and Lyndon a pat on the back.

"Hey, Mr. Elyse's Dad!" Nadine greeted.

"Good to see you again, Mr. McKinley," Lilly added.

Elyse was sure Lyndon greeted him as well, but it was unintelligible with all that food in his mouth.

"I'm glad you are all here," he said to the group of teenagers. "Because I have some very important news that I want to share with you. I told your mother last night and I've been waiting to tell you. I've decided that I'm going to run for mayor during this upcoming election!"

That was certainly something that Elyse had not been expecting. Her father had mentioned it a few times in the past particularly when he was upset about Saffron's various issues especially the increasing instances of Pokémon abuse and abandonment and urban crime skyrocketing. Elyse thought that he was just venting his anger and sadness, but did not think he would ever actually go through with his claims. She assumed that he was content with being an alderman, but her assumption had been wrong. Regardless, she was happy for her father and cheered him along with everyone else.

"Lyndon and I can definitely help you out on your campaign, Dad," Amelie said.

"You have my vote, Dad," Elyse added. "I mean...you'd have it if I were old enough to vote. But I'm definitely in your corner."

"Thanks girls," Mr. McKinley told his daughters. "Now, how about I give everyone a ride to school? It is the first day and you don't want to be late."

"Shotgun!" Lyndon yelled as he bolted out of the door.

"Alright, Po," Elyse said as she turned to her Pokémon. "Let's get go-"

He quickly hoisted her up on his shoulders and dashed out of the house.

* * *

"_The chicken wasn't done! The cookies were burnt! I sat the kitchen on fire and then I had to run, run, run!"_

Ellie sang and dance loudly as she and Relena walked together to school. She loved the song _Kitchen on Fire_ since it basically described her own efforts in the kitchen. Usually Relena would either be laughing her guts out or telling her to shut up, but she did not say anything. She continued onwards in silence, staring at the ground. Instantly, Ellie knew something was bothering her.

"Relena, what's bothering you?" she asked concernedly.

"N-nothing..." she answered softly.

"Relena, what is it?" Ellie repeated. "I'm not going to drop it until you tell me what's bugging you, so what is it?"

Relena sighed and pulled Ellie off the sidewalk and into a nearby shop. "You have to promise not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Got it? Don't tell anyone. Not Drake and especially not Mike, understand?"

"Okay, I won't tell anyone," Ellie swore, a bit more alarmed at Relena's strong insistence on secrecy. "You have my word."

"Remember when I went to see my psychiatrist the other day and was happy because I thought I was done with my anger management training?" she began and Ellie nodded her head. "It turns out that I...I...have..."

"Have what?" Ellie finished. She put an arm around her distressed friend. "You know what, how about we forget it?"

"No...I'd feel better if I told someone," Relena continued with a sigh. "She said that I have _emotionally unstable personality disorder..._Most people call it _borderline personality disorder_, and they usually wait until you're eighteen before they diagnose you, but they said that I've been showing symptoms for over a year. That doesn't matter to my parents though. They told me that there was a chance that I could have my Pokémon taken away from me because I'm 'mentally ill' and could be considered unfit to raise Pokémon. They didn't want me to tell anyone since they don't want to be known for having a 'crazy' daughter. Right now they're looking for any pills they can find to keep me under control..."

Ellie's eyes were wide with shock. While Relena's diagnosis was a surprise in itself, her parents' reaction to it made Ellie sick to her stomach. She had only met Relena's parents a few times, but did not think they were _that_ atrocious. Relena's twin brother, Chris, had always been favored, that much was clear. The fact that he went to a private boarding school while Relena did not was evidence enough. Still, Ellie thought that they would at least have some compassion for their daughter.

"Forget about them," Ellie remarked as she gave Relena a hug and led her out of the shop. "People can be jerks when it comes to stuff they don't understand. I don't think you're crazy at all and I'll let you tell the boys whenever you think you're ready."

"Thanks, El," Relena replied. "I knew you'd have my back. Guess this is just something that I gotta deal with..."

Before the conversation could continue, the two girls were stopped by what sounded like wolf whistles coming from an approaching black truck. In the truck bed was a Houndoom fire breathing into the air. The flames were in the general direction of the girls, but they were not close enough to cause any need for alarm. Still, it annoyed them a bit especially when they saw who was behind the wheel.

"Damn," Craig started. "It looks like you girls have definitely been taking your vitamins since the last time I saw you. You two need a ride to school?"

"You tried to throw my boyfriend in the dumpster the other day," Relena said accusingly. "And now you want me to get in a truck with you? Are you stupid or something? Fuck off."

"You know, she's got a point, Craig," Johnny remarked from the passenger's side.

Craig let out a sigh of annoyance. "Look, I admit I was out of line and had a little too much to drink the other night we ran into Mike. Plus, I was kind of pissed off since I had a little run-in with that hick, Griff Heartlily. I got a swift knee to the crotch for my efforts. So, I was just trying to make it up to you and give you two a ride to school. It's like people are always on my case about not being nice and then when I try to do something nice, people _still_ get on my case. What the hell do you people want from me?"

"Relena, what do you think we should do?" Ellie asked. "The right thing for us to do would be to just keep on our way, but...the practical thing for us to do would be to just get in so my aching feet can rest."

"Your feet wouldn't be aching if hadn't spent the whole walk dancing," Relena told her, pausing to stick her tongue out at the Houndoom who continued barking at them and fire breathing in their general direction. "Fine, let's do it. Hey, Johnny, you need to calm Houndoom down. If my hair ends up getting singed, I promise you that I'll neuter him with my bare hands."

"I'm sure he's terrified..." Johnny said in an extremely sarcastic tone. "Just shut up and get in."

The two girls climbed into the backseat of the truck, but glanced at each other when they each realized that the other was hesitant about actually sitting down.

"Craig, did you sterilize the seats?" Relena asked him. "Or do you have some clean towels to put down? The last thing we want is to catch something from any of the gross things you've done back here."

"It's all clean, Relena," Craig said. "I mean, I wouldn't want to catch anything you might have crawling around inside of you either...like lack of talent or taste."

Relena rolled her eyes as Craig started the truck. Ellie was surprised to see how restrained Relena remained. She assumed that the girl was just worn out from everything that she had been going through. The ride itself consisted of Craig and Johnny talking about the battling team, the band that Johnny played drums for, and all the trouble that Craig had managed to avoid during his numerous exploits.

"Girls," he finally acknowledged them, not bothering to keep his eyes one-hundred percent on the road once he started speaking. "I have protein, calcium, carbos, zinc, and iron. And it's all for your Pokémon. It's none of that over-the-counter crap they give you at the department store in Celadon. Nah, this stuff is a little bit stronger. I haven't even tried it on my Pokémon yet. Sid's got some big time connects. He knows people in Johto who know people in places like Unova and Kalos."

"Wait..." Ellie told him. "If you won't even use that stuff on your own Pokémon, what makes you think we'd use it on ours?"

"Hey, just trying to be an honorable salesman," Craig remarked smoothly. "So...Relena, how's coordinating squad-"

"Stop," she interrupted him. "She didn't say anything about you, she only talked about herself as usual. Besides, everyone already knows that the only reason that you want to get back together with your towheaded, she-demon, sugar mama is because she's a model now."

"That's not true," Craig defended unconvincingly. "Felicity has a great...personality..."

"So does a Tyranitar," Johnny remarked. "Anyway, I need you to listen up, Ellie. You, Drake, and those other third years better be ready for the first battle games next week. This is the big leagues now and we can't lose to Cerulean under _any_ circumstances."

"Calm down, J-Hawk," Ellie told her team captain. "Don't get your overpriced, rich-boy underwear in a twist. There's no way we're going to lose."

Cerulean Trainer's School was the first school that the S.T.S. battling team competed against during the season. They were not the hardest team to battle against, but they were S.T.S.'s most hated rival. It was not much of an issue with the lower schools, but the upper schools took the rivalry to its extremes. While the stronger schools like Fuschia and Celadon were the true challenges, Cerulean was arguably the most important one. Several members of the team often remarked that they didn't care if they lost every other game in the season as long as they beat Cerulean.

"Alright, we're here..." Craig said as he pulled into the school's parking lot. "All three of you, get the hell out."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Johnny replied as he stepped out of the truck. "Houndoom, let's go. We need to find Tyler."

"Um, don't you need to put him in his ball?" Ellie asked.

Johnny scoffed. "I'm the captain of the intermediate battling team, Ellie. As long as I keep leading our team to victory, I can do whatever I want."

"Okay..." Ellie uttered. "Maybe I'll become captain one day and can have Kadabra teleport me inside the building. Anyway, um, thanks for the ride, Craig...I guess."

"Yeah..." Relena added, unsure of what exactly to say. "Thanks...?"

"You two are still here?" Craig said. "Don't expect this to happen again any time soon. You're just lucky that I was in a good mood today. Why don't you girls run along now? Just be sure to be careful, you're in the upper school now..."

* * *

Meeting up with the rest of the band in an old music room in the basement of the school was not something that Tyler West ever thought he would do. Then again, joining a band was once something that he never thought that he would do. It was funny how life could be at times. You never knew where it would take you. His parents called it 'time wasting nonsense' just like they did when he joined the battling team years ago, but he did not care at all. Spiting them by staying in this band would just be a bonus.

"West, that you?!" he heard Johnny's voice say in a loud whisper. "Come check this out. Hurry up..."

He found Johnny staring into the barely open door to the music room. The other boy gestured him over and Tyler wondered what was so important for him to see. Peering into the room, Tyler saw an attractive blue-eyed brunette sitting in the lap of a muscular blond. They were kissing so heavily that Tyler thought that one of them would eventually run out of air.

"Guess they couldn't wait until later," he remarked.

"Yeah, screw that," Johnny stated. "Xander and Laila wanted us to meet up here. They're on our time now. Houndoom, get their attention for me."

Immediately, Houndoom burst into the room and began barking at the two startled trainers. Xander quickly jumped up, causing Laila to fly face first onto the floor. Tyler heard Xander cursing at Johnny as he entered the room and sent Houndoom into his poké ball.

"Johnny, what the hell?!" Xander yelled.

"This time last year you two couldn't even stand being in the same room together," Johnny shot back. "And now you can't keep your hands off each other for five seconds. Stop playing grab ass and tell us why we're here."

Tyler decided not to be as direct as Johnny instead choosing to help Laila to her feet. He thought that Johnny was being a bit hypocritical considering that he and Jennifer Klein often chose to be quite open with their displays of affection. Nevertheless, the other boy had a point. There was not any reason in wasting time.

"Thanks, Tyler," Laila said before walking over and thumping Johnny on the forehead.

"No problem..." he told her. "So, what exactly did you want to talk about, Xander? Does this have something to do with the band?"

Xander nodded his head, having gotten control of himself after Johnny's alarm. "You say that word 'band,' Tyler. Are we really a band though? We've mostly played in Johnny's backyard and at my little cousin's birthday party. We don't have a theme, we don't even have a name. Most importantly, we only have four members!"

"So?" Johnny quipped. "The four of us are good enough."

"Four is death!" Xander yelled. "Bands should only have odd number members. Three, five, seven! That's like an unwritten law."

"How about this, then?" Johnny continued. "We drop you and keep on as a three-man band?"

"Ahem..." Laila interjected.

"Sorry, two-man-one-chick band," Johnny corrected.

Laila rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter anyway. Xander and I have already been auditioning people and they all sucked, so we wanted you two to be a part of our selection process. Once we have our fifth member, we can start looking for gigs. For now though, we really do need a name."

"Maybe a combination of our names?" Xander suggested. "_Xailannyler_? Simple, but not simple."

"More like stupid, but not...no it's stupid," Johnny stated. "But if you're looking for a combo, how about we combine the names of our Pokémon. That would be pretty awesome."

"Or both..." Tyler decided to throw in. "How about the..._XL Houndcanines_? It combines Xander and Laila's first initials and Johnny and I's signature Pokémon, Houndoom and Arcanine. Maybe our theme can be fire and canine-like Pokémon?"

Johnny and Xander exchanged looks with each other before nodding their heads in agreement. Laila shrugged her shoulders, obviously not caring either way. Tyler was relieved that his idea was accepted. He was content to stay silent on most matters in the past until Johnny advised him that he should make an effort to let his thoughts and opinions be heard. He still had a long road ahead of him, but he was much further than he had been when he started out.

"Alright, I'll work on getting t-shirts and all that extra junk taken care of," Xander told them. "In the meantime, everyone keep your ears out for any amount of musical talent so we can find our fifth member."

"Work on getting us a gig too, genius," Johnny said. "Let's go, West."

Tyler and Johnny left their band members to their devices and made their way back to the main school area. Johnny talked about the upcoming battling games against Cerulean while Tyler mostly just listened. Still, he was glad that their rivalry had mostly dissipated after Johnny had defeated him for position of team captain. It was not a big loss to Tyler seeing as he was pestered by the coach into battling for the position in the first place.

"Have you talked to Nat?" Johnny asked as they arrived back in the main hallway.

"No, why?"

"He's probably going to skip today," Johnny answered. "I kind of feel for him. He cheated on Ellie with Kat even though he liked Anika the most. I swear, Nat's an awesome battler and he makes good grades, but he is as dumb as a Rhyhorn when it comes to girls. Now, Ellie's in the upper school and he still has homeroom with Kat and Anika. That's what he gets for listening to Craig though..."

"I guess it always leads back to Craig, huh?" Tyler noted.

Johnny gave him a puzzled look as if he did not know what to make of his comment. Johnny insulted Craig all the time and often had little tolerance for his more extreme behavior, but Tyler noticed the possibility of Johnny getting defensive if someone else criticized his best friend.

"Well...Craig didn't make Nat do anything..." Johnny countered. "So it _is_ all on him in the end..."

Tyler decided that it would be best to end the conversation right there. He did not want to start anything and he was not really all that interested in talking about Nat or Craig. The two of them spotted Lyndon by his locker, apparently reading a note of some sort. Tyler looked around for Amelie, but did not see her anywhere in the slightly crowded school hallway.

"Tyler!" Lyndon called out when he looked up from his letter. "I've been looking for you guys. Come check this out."

Tyler and Johnny walked over to Lyndon and he showed them the letter that he had apparently found in his locker. Tyler was curious as to why it was so important, so he and Johnny quickly read over it.

_To my sweet Lyndon,_

_It seems that it was only yesterday that we said farewell to one another. A lot has happened since the last time we met. I wanted you to know that I shall be returning to Saffron City in a fortnight. _

_Love always and forever,_

_Lizzy_

_P.S.: I would have just sent you a text message, but I am afraid that my phone was eaten by a rather cute Gulpin a year and a half ago._

_P.S.S.: My plants at home haven't been watered in nearly two years. I don't suppose you could go by my house and check on them for me? Actually, I think my old house was sold by my parents, so never mind..._

After they finished reading the letter, Tyler and Johnny simply looked at one another, each unsure of what to make of the letter. Lizzy Haze had always been a rather eccentric classmate of theirs when she was around and it appeared as if she was returning after all this time.

"What language is this letter supposed to be in?" Johnny finally broke the silence. "And I thought Lizzy ran off with the circus at the end of our second year?"

"I suppose she's coming back," Tyler said.

"I mean we never technically broke up..." Lyndon stated. "But she did sort of up and leave. I dunno, guess I need to think about it...Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Amelie has some pretty big news that she wants to share with all of our friends in homeroom. She definitely wanted to make sure that you were there, Tyler."

Johnny gave Tyler a satisfactory grin and a pat on the back. He wanted to rush to homeroom, but it was ingrained in him that keeping composure even when being excited was a sign of a mature individual.

"Well..." he said calmly. "We should probably get to homeroom before Mrs. Kroft gets there..."

* * *

"_No, Daddy, I've told you a million times. I want the car I'm getting for my sweet sixteen to be periwinkle. The one you showed me was amethyst. There's a huge difference! Look, I have to go to class, I'll see you at home."_

Felicity Cole hung up her phone and sighed. She could not understand why her father could not follow simple instructions. Such ignorance from the people around her annoyed Felicity to no end, but it was as if everyone that she was forced to interact with grew more and more stupid by the day. Unfortunately for Felicity, she now found herself at the biggest den of ignorance in Saffron. Felicity always hated school and if it weren't for coordinating and the theater, she would have no reason to even attend.

"Alright, Ivan," Felicity told her Venusaur as they stood outside the school. "Hopefully you'll be able to fit in the door..."

Ivan simply shrugged, making it clear that he was not concerned about being able to walk inside of the school. Even so, he followed his trainer towards the steps of the school where they were stopped by Principal Chaubs. He had been promoted recently after being the assistant principal for years and most of the students could tell that he had gotten a bit full of himself. Felicity thought that if he gained anymore weight, he'd be indistinguishable from a Snorlax.

"Miss Cole," he puffed.

"What?" Felicity snapped rudely.

"You know the rules," he told her as he gestured at Ivan. "No Pokémon allowed outside of their poké balls. Recall Venusaur."

"Ivan and I are borderline public figures," the blonde girl remarked. "We were on the cover of this month's _Pokéteen._ I have a copy for you if you'd like."

"That won't be necessary," Chaubs said firmly. "Now, recall Venusaur or you'll be suspended before the day has even started. I'm sure your father would not be pleased about that."

"Fine!" Felicity groaned.

Ivan made sure to swat one of his vines at the principal's feet, but Felicity recalled him before things could escalate. Chaubs muttered a few curses under his breath, but did not pursue the issue any further. He left Felicity to her devices and the amateur teen model strolled inside of the school. Almost immediately she was met with astonished gazes and frantic whispers and she loved it. She felt that most of those moronic boys and wannabe girls should be grateful to be in her presence. She was so elated that she even signed the cover of a few magazines and took a few pictures with her 'fans'.

"_Really, Felicity? Autographs and selfies?"_

Felicity was surprised to see Darren Hernandez, a fellow actor from the school theater. He was a year younger than she was and one of the few people she could tolerate being around for more than a short period of time. She did not think much of him at first, but had proven his skill in the plays they had worked on together.

"I see you finally made it out of that preschool across campus, Darren," Felicity remarked.

"Everyone here was a first and second year at some point," Darren replied. "Even you."

"It's a good thing you're here though," she continued as she began digging around in her purse. "I need some I can trust to pick up my dry cleaning and you're one of the few non-pervs I associate with."

"I'm not picking up your dry-"

She handed him fifty dollars and Darren quickly saluted her before departing. Glad to get that taken care of, Felicity opened her locker and frowned. She never had enough space for her things and would certainly not ever share a locker with Craig again. Luckily for her, she saw a familiar face opening the locker next to hers. Felicity turned to the girl and gave her signature shark smile.

"Katherine Lee, right...?" Felicity started. She thought that the girl was pretty...in a dull and generic cheerleader way like Amelie, Jennifer, and Laila. "Do you remember my name?"

The pale brunette nodded her head. "I know who you are, Felicity."

"Well..." Felicity proceeded. "I just wanted you to know that I found out about the whole Nat mess last year. He should have told you that he had a girlfriend. I know you probably just want to put it behind you and I think it's really stupid that people are still talking about it. Of course, I thought it was stupid that he didn't go for you in the first place. A pretty cheerleader like you is more his status anyway. Homely hicks like Anika and spiky-haired brats like Ellie are way below him. It's too bad he couldn't see that."

"I'm over it," Kat told her with a smile. "And I don't think it's fair to blame the other girls. They had nothing to do with Nat's actions."

"Whatever you say..." Felicity retorted as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Hey, why don't we walk to homeroom together?"

Kat arched an eyebrow, obviously curious as to why Felicity was being so cordial towards her. All the same, she decided to take the girl up on her offer. Once they got to the classroom, Felicity took a seat in the back while Kat went to join Jennifer and Laila. She could see them as well as a few of the boys surrounding Amelie. Felicity rolled her eyes in disgust. As usual, Amelie McKinley had to be the center of attention even though all eyes should be on Felicity. It had been that way since they were four. However, Felicity's expression changed to one of delight when a wad of paper hit Amelie in the side of the head.

"_Whoops! I was aiming for the trashcan. My bad, McKinley..."_

"It's okay, Craig," Felicity added as she stared at Amelie with a smug grin. "Amelie's head is so big that it's almost impossible not to hit it even when you're aiming for something else..."

Amelie rolled her eyes and turned her attention away from the two. Irritating Amelie, even if it was just for a moment, was a bright spot in Felicity's day. She shifted her focus to Craig and liked what she saw. She loved how well his jeans looked on him and how his sleeveless shirt drew attention to his biceps. The stubble on his face gave him even more of a rugged look that she could not help but find herself attracted to. However, he was still Craig and she had no intention of getting involved with him again.

"McKinley's dad is running for mayor," Craig told her. "That's why everyone's all up her ass."

"Why would anyone want to be mayor of this stupid city?" Felicity said.

"Don't know," Craig replied. "But I don't think Sid will be happy at all. I know McKinley's dad and you can bet that he's going to get the streets cleaned up."

"You don't sound too upset. That basically means you'll be out of work."

Craig shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "No point getting mad. Just means that I'll have more free time for you."

"Too bad I'm going to be busy modeling, coordinating, and eventually starring in movies," Felicity told him. "You'll just have to be okay with worshiping me like everyone else..."

"C'mon, we had a good thing going."

"Until you told everyone our business," Felicity told him clearly.

"And even after that, you kept coming back for more..."

Felicity glared daggers at him and the two of them were starting to draw attention towards their little dispute. Felicity smirked when she thought of a way to make this situation more fun for her.

"I kept coming back only because you like to wear your socks during it," she said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hey everyone," Craig countered. "Felicity gets so angry when you bump into her because it makes her think of all the times I was in her sweet sugar walls."

"Craig likes to cuddle!" Felicity blurted out.

Craig's eyes widened and Felicity looked at their classmates. Amelie's hands were over her mouth in shock of the secrets that were just exposed while Jennifer and Laila's jaws were simply dropped. The only sound that could be heard was Johnny and Xander pointing and laughing at Craig's now reddened face. Felicity would have felt guilty if he had not put her in the same predicament last year. Besides, she knew he'd get over it and be flirting with her again by lunch.

"_I feel like I should send you two to the principal, but I honestly don't care enough about your love lives to do that..."_

"I'm gonna guess you heard everything, Mrs. Kroft?" Craig shot back. "I would apologize, but I honestly don't care enough to do that..."

Felicity could not help but to let out a giggle, which Craig noticed. Mrs. Kroft merely sighed and made her way to the front of the classroom. It was going to be a long year for everyone.

* * *

**A/N: Whew, second chapter is finally done. Very trainer-focused, so I kind of want to even out the trainer-focused and the Pokemon-focused chapter, so I feel the easiest way to do that would be to establish the trainers first. **

**P.O.V. Characters: Elyse McKinley, Ellie Morris, Tyler West, and Felicity Cole**

**As always, come to the forums to chat about this story or chat in general.**

**Adios! **


	3. Rising Tensions

**Rising Tensions**

"_After we went to the Indigo Plateau to watch the Pokémon League, Johnny and I stayed at this amazing hotel that had everything..."_

"_Xander took me to Celadon's Department Store and offered to pay for anything and everything that I wanted..."_

The awkwardness of listening to Jennifer and Laila fawn over their respective boyfriends was as strong and present as it had been for the past year. It was one of the few times that Amelie McKinley did not have anything to add to a conversation. The only thing she could do was sit at the lunch table and wait for them to bring up another topic. Fortunately, it happened the moment Craig entered the lunchroom and approached their table.

"Ladies," he greeted with his usual smug grin.

"Sit next to me, Craig," Laila taunted in a mocking tone.

"No, sit next to _me_, Craig," Jennifer teased.

"We want to cuddle with you, Craig!" the two of them said in unison before breaking out into laughter.

"Ha ha..." Craig growled. "Excellent stand-up from the cheer girls. I bet you three think you're so funny, don't you?"

"Actually, Craig," Amelie interjected. "I didn't say any-

"Whatever," he interrupted. "Speaking of cuddling, Felicity didn't mention how hard it was for me to hold her close. There was just so much extra space up top after the removal of all that padding. Whoops, guess I just spilled another one of Felicity's secrets. Looks like I'm in first place."

Amelie did not know who was in first place as far as childishness went. It definitely seemed like Craig and Felicity were neck and neck. It was not really hard to figure out what was going on though, especially in Craig's case as he was entirely too easy to read. The nastier he behaved, the clearer it became about where his feelings actually lied.

"You know," Amelie started. "If you still like her-"

"There are dozens of girls lining up to hook up with me," Craig finished. "Felicity is a total non-factor."

"Whatever you say," Amelie replied, deciding to change the topic. "So, we have a free period after lunch. Who wants to go with me to the park? My Pokémon and I volunteered to help clean up."

Jennifer and Laila exchanged a glance and quickly stood up.

"As much as we would love to help you, Amelie..." Jennifer said. "I...uh...have to go check on our new uniforms for cheerleading."

"Yeah," Laila added. "And...I um, have to go to study hall...to study..."

"For what?" Amelie questioned.

"Um..." Laila answered. "I...have to go to study hall to study for...uh, study hall?"

"We'll see you at practice!" Jennifer said before the two of them quickly headed off.

The responses were what Amelie expected, so she was not too upset. She would not have even asked them if she knew where Lyndon scurried off to. Reaching to take a sip of her tea, she noticed that it was now in Craig's possession.

"I don't suppose you'd like to help me clean the park?"

"I can't," Craig answered as he took a sip of the tea. "On the grounds that I really don't give a shit about how clean a park is."

"Well, at least you're honest."

Craig shrugged before turning to face her. Amelie noticed that his demeanor had shifted somewhat and wondered what was going on.

"So...your dad's running for mayor, huh?" he asked in a somewhat serious tone.

Instantly, Amelie knew what was going on.

"So that's where you went after homeroom?" she responded. "Yes, my dad is running for mayor and whatever activities your buddy Sid Moriarty or any of his higher ups have been up to are going to cease."

"'Cease'?" Craig replied with a laugh. "Ooh, that's a big girl word. It's not like your daddy is going to win anyway, not in a city like Saffron. There's no way the high-rollers like Felicity's dad or Tyler West's parents are going to let that happen. Your dad's too much of a good guy. That's too dangerous for the so-called criminals and the top dogs, they'd actually have to watch their backs. Now, if your mom was running, she'd definitely have a chance of winning on hotness alone..."

He was trying to rile her up and the last thing Amelie was going to do was give Craig the satisfaction of making her angry. She had nothing to do with his day going badly and if he wanted to take his frustrations out on another person, he was going to have to find someone else. The main issue with Craig was that she never knew what to expect when dealing with him. He could be jovial and helping her out when needed one day or he could be irritating and try to cause as much chaos as possible the next day. However, his skills in manipulation were strong and his words were often far more powerful than his muscles or his Pokémon. The main advantage that Craig had was the fact that Amelie did not have it in her to cut ties with him due to the fact that they had known each other for six years.

"Alright," Craig said standing up. "I'm bored. You know how to drain the energy out of a person, that's for sure. One more thing though, if you need someone to go clean up Pokémon droppings in the park with you, you probably should ask West. Arceus, you know things are bad when I have to step in and play matchmaker."

"Like you did with Johnny, Xander, and Nat?" Amelie replied sarcastically.

"They're all men now thanks to me," Craig retorted. "Sure, Nat's still a bit pissed about the whole fiasco last year, but he'll thank me for it later. If you would help out, I could cross Tyler off the list too. After that, I can focus all my attention on Lyndon because trust me, he's going to need it. I'm just saying, McKinley. Felicity, Jen, Laila, and Kat all got with the program. For your sake, you'd better wise up before Tyler loses interest in you."

His tone was less condescending and sounded more like a warning, which made Amelie a bit nervous. She always tried to deflect whatever Craig said to her, but she was not perfect and there were times where he could pierce her shell. She would be alright as long as she did not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had shaken her.

"Are you done?" she asked in a dry, but convincing voice.

"Yeah," he answered as he flashed a seductive smirk. "Of course, if you need some 'practice' for Tyler, I'm your man. You probably wouldn't want anyone else after me though."

For a brief moment, Amelie could see what Felicity and many other girls saw in Craig Kelton. He was attractive, confident, and skilled. Denying it would not change anything. It was likely the main reason he even got a way with a fraction of the stunts that he pulled. It was the same with Johnny, Xander, and Nat and although she hated to think about it, Tyler would likely be in the same category if he was as mischievous as they were.

"_Hey, Amelie, I've been looking all over for you. Do you have a sec?"_

Amelie was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Mike Snowe's voice. Despite the lowering sound of his voice and the steady growth spurt that he was experiencing, he was still the same Mike. The mop of dark brown hair and the warm smile confirmed it more than anything else.

"Hey, Mascot Boy," Craig started the moment he saw the younger boy. "I gave your girlfriend a ride this morning. Maybe she'll give me one later. She was looking pretty cute in those tight clothes."

"Are you sure that wouldn't be too difficult for you, greaseball?" Mike shot back. "Because judging from the sound you made after I dropped you the other day, I'd say that you're not exactly at a hundred percent yet."

"I've recovered enough to knock your teeth down your throat," Craig threatened.

"Just be sure to cuddle with me after you're finished," Mike countered with a triumphant grin.

Amelie's eyes widened and she put a hand over her open mouth as Craig was left speechless. Before he could even think of taking action, Amelie shot him a quick, but effective warning glare. Craig mumbled a few curses to himself before he stormed off, leaving Mike to take his seat next to Amelie. While it was easy to tell that part of his confidence was coming from the amount of people being present, Amelie could see a genuine change in Mike compared to two years ago. It was only natural considering he was twelve then and was almost fifteen now.

"How has your day been?" she decided to break the ice.

"Woke up late because Mom was busy with the baby," he began. "Drake and Loki had gone on ahead to check out some morning battles, so I rushed to school with Electabuzz. My girlfriend got mad at me for being late, she yelled, and then we made up...and then we made out. That led to us getting caught by Chaubs and getting a citation. Then, I tripped over some books, scraped my elbow, didn't go to the nurse, and here we are now."

"You certainly know how to make a bad morning sound interesting," Amelie replied. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for spending so much time with Elyse this summer. I know you two don't really have other friends who are into gymnastics, so it was nice to see my sister and my teammate bond."

"Hey, I'm in the best shape of my life thanks to Elyse," Mike stated. "Your sister is amazing, always has been, and can actually be pretty hilarious even if she doesn't like to show it when other people are around. Thanks to her, we're going to own halftime at the battle games. Speaking of which, we need to talk about my costume."

"What's wrong with it?" she asked.

"It barely fits me anymore," Mike explained. "Remember, I only got the job because I could do stunts and was the only one small enough to fit in it. Plus, every school in Kanto has some kind of badass mascot except for us. So, I was thinking why don't we just change Poliwhirl to Poliwrath? I mean, 'wrath' sounds so much cooler and lets the other teams know we aren't to be messed with. Maybe we can change my name too. Polly sounds like the name of a Chatot. How about just Paul or something cooler sounding like Pluto. The best thing about this idea is that Poliwrath is just a bigger, angrier, tougher version of Poliwhirl so no one would really get upset about us breaking tradition and I won't be embarrassed to be seen in a Poliwrath costume. Everyone wins."

"I don't see a reason why we can't change the mascot," Amelie told him. She honestly did not care what Pokémon the mascot was so long as everyone liked it. "We'd have to ask the principal and he'd have to let the school vote on it, but it's worth a shot."

"Thanks, Amelie!" Mike said excitedly. "You're the best."

"No problem," Amelie replied. "Hey, if you weren't busy during free period, did you want to help me volunteer to clean the park across the street? A clean environment will keep the Pokémon there happy and-"

"As much as I would love to help," Mike interrupted. "It's my first day in the upper school and I'm still learning my way around and...uh, Relena needs me to...uh-"

"_I'll go..."_

Mike's eyes lit up when he saw Tyler and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Tyler, you're a lifesaver...I mean, I wanted to clean the park so bad, but uh, they say three's a crowd. Amelie, I'll see you at practice!"

"Take care, Mike," Amelie said with a wave as he headed back to his group of friends.

"Should we be going?" Tyler asked.

"Y-yeah," Amelie stammered, her composure immediately melting away. "D-definitely."

Thanks to the influence of Johnny and the other boys on the battling team over the past two years, Tyler had become more open while Amelie found herself still stuttering and stammering like she did when she was thirteen. She would be driving soon and still could not talk to a guy she had known for five years. Fortunately, once they made it to the park and began cleaning the area, Amelie's Leafeon had managed to calm her down a bit so that they could have a normal conversation.

"You don't talk much about Feebas," she said as she watched him release the Pokémon to swim around in the stream.

Tyler did not talk much at all to be honest, but where his Pokémon were concerned, Arcanine and Ampharos tended to be more visible especially after the latter had evolved from Flaaffy.

"He was a gift from my parents about four years ago," Tyler explained, watching the water Pokémon swim around quickly. "They told me that I could make something out of myself with a lot of time and hard work in the same way that Lucas here would evolve into Milotic. Basically, they were telling me what they thought of me, but they've been criticizing for as long as I can remember. Anyway, Laila gave me a few tips on how to raise him since her Feebas evolved recently. He's close to evolving now, but my parents believe that he has not evolved yet because I've been wasting my time on the battling team, playing in a band, and actually making an effort to make friends."

Amelie did not know exactly what to say. It was the first time Tyler had opened up this much. Apparently, his life was not as perfect as she imagined it was. It made her think of Felicity and how she was constantly complaining about her father. Regardless of whether her complaints were often valid or not, it was obvious to Amelie that children of extremely wealthy parents were not always better off.

"I know what you need," Amelie said as she reached for her other poké ball and tossed it in the air.

Amelie's Rapidash, Jessie, materialized from the ball. It was always quite a sight to see even when she had been acquired as Ponyta. Her fiery mane and majestic stance rivaled Tyler's Arcanine and Amelie could not help but to be proud of how great she and Jessie's relationship turned out. Gently petting her, Amelie looked at Tyler and gave him a warm smile. It was much easier to interact with him when approaching as a friend rather than something more.

"This is my first time seeing her as Rapidash," Tyler remarked. "She looks very well taken care of."

"Thanks," Amelie replied with a blush as she climbed on Jessie. "She's still pretty playful and plenty stubborn, but she won't burn you or anything like that. Hop on, we're going on a short ride through the trail."

"Why?" Tyler asked curiously. "What's the reason?"

"It helps clear your head," Amelie told him. "And it's fun. Other than that though, there's no real reason and there doesn't really have to be."

Tyler gave her a bit of a confused look before recalling Lucas to his poké ball and climbing a top Jessie. Amelie momentarily froze up when she felt him grab her waist, but managed to collect herself before he could notice. She gave the command and Jessie galloped off.

* * *

Ace Torres had to admit to himself that he vastly preferred the upper school to the lower school. Even though he still had to deal with the same people in classes, the school was big enough that he could remain relatively anonymous outside the classroom. He also appreciated all the free time that was absent in his first and second years at S.T.S.

"Where is she...?" he mumbled to himself.

"_I think Poké Lit. is my new favorite subject, Loki."_

"_Tell me about it, man. Now I know why they call her Miss Hottie."_

Ace rolled his eyes as Drake and Loki passed him. They were too busy drooling over the Pokémon Literature teacher, Miss Motley, to even notice him. That was perfectly fine with him as he found them to be just as irritating as their friend, Mike. The three of them being as popular as they were just demonstrated how stupid most people in their age group were.

Amy was different though. Quiet enough to not be annoying, but talkative enough to be interesting. They were similar in many ways from their interest in expressive drawings and alternative music to their preference for dark clothing, books with bittersweet endings, and cool looking Pokémon. The fact that they became a couple in Saturday detention of all places highlighted how different they were from other people. More than anything, they were both outcasts and did not seem to mind. However, even Ace acknowledged that Amy was much nicer to other people than he was and the few arguments that they got into always revolved around this fact.

"Finally..." Ace said as she approached him. "What took you so long?"

"Got lost," Amy answered. "This school is so big."

"Isn't it great?" Ace asked. "Wide open spaces. Too many people to bother with us."

"If you say so," Amy replied as she reached in her bag. "Anyway, I got a little bored last period, so I kind of doodled you a little something. I know it's probably a bit cheesy, but..."

She handed Ace the piece of paper she removed from her bag. He looked at it and saw an elaborate drawing of what appeared to be a card. Upon further inspection, Ace noticed that it was not just any card, but the ace of spades. It was a bit cheesy, but Ace appreciated it and even managed to crack a smile.

"Not bad at all..." he remarked. "I'll hang it up in my room."

"You'd better," Amy joked. "That's a masterpiece, you know."

"So..." Ace continued. "I actually...have something for you..."

Amy looked at him curiously as he reached into his back pocket and handed her a flyer. He saw her eyes widen as she looked over it.

"_Night Slash_ is coming to Saffron!?" she practically yelled. "They're my favorite band!"

"Yeah, they're having a little change-up in their schedule," Ace explained. "So they're coming to Saffron months earlier than they were supposed to. When I heard that, I just had to get us two tickets for Friday night."

He was taken aback when Amy responded by kissing him on the lips. She was usually far too shy to kiss him anywhere but on the cheek when they were not alone. He assumed that she was happy with the news, so he decided not to tell her the bad part. The concert was going to go way past her curfew if the band preformed their full set, so going would likely be a huge risk.

"I...have an appointment with Mr. Slowking over some nonsense," Ace told her. "I'll text you when I get out."

They said their goodbyes and Ace headed to homeroom. He was surprised when the Pokémon teacher had transferred to the upper-school and even more surprised when he turned out to be their homeroom teacher for the third year in a row. He supposed it could have been worse even if he had not gotten used to having a Pokémon for a teacher.

"_Ah, right on time_..." Mr. Slowking said as Ace came in and took a seat. "_Slowbro, if you can give us a moment, please?_"

"_Bro...?"_

"_No, you cannot take the car_," Mr. Slowking told him.

Ace wondered if they actually gave Pokémon driver's licenses, but decided not to ask as Slowbro left the room. He had a more important question on his mind.

"Why am I here?" he asked. "I haven't done anything to anybody."

"_Why do you assume that you are in trouble?_" Mr. Slowking questioned. "_Why do you assume that you are the only student that I'm going to speak with?"_

"Well, that explained nothing," Ace mumbled.

"_You've had problems with others in the past. I wanted to make sure that things turn out better for you here than they did at the lower school. How has your day been?"_

"Actually..." Ace started. "It's been good. No one's called me a freak, my girlfriend's happy with me, and I have a lot of free time to do what I want."

"_That's great to hear,_" Mr. Slowking said with a smile. "_You can leave if you want. I do not wish to take up all of your free period."_

He did not have to tell Ace twice. The fourteen year old quickly left the classroom, deep in thought about his new school life. The lower school was small and consisted of only first and second years. Standing out was easy, but it could be a good or bad thing depending on who you were. The upper school was far larger and was made up of third, fourth, fifth, and sixth years. You really had to do something incredible to stand out, but if you wanted to blend in, it was actually possible.

"_Out of our way, freak!"_

Ace frowned and turned around to see who was talking to him. His expression changed when he realized that he was not the one being harassed. He saw a couple of fifth years shove a skinny boy with frizzy dirty blond hair and pasty skin. He had dark eyes with circles under them and he was searching for the pair of glasses that had fallen on the hallway floor after he had been shoved.

"Damn it..." Ace heard the boy say.

Letting out a sigh, he walked over to him and scooped the glasses off the ground before handing them to their owner. The boy put on the glasses and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that they were undamaged.

"Thank you..." he said to Ace.

"Don't mention it," Ace replied. "It was no big deal."

"Okay then...I'm Keller," the boy introduced himself. "Keller Trayne."

"Ace," he told him. He really did not want to waste his free period making small talk with a stranger and made no attempt to hide it. "Well, I'd better be going. See you around, Keller..."

* * *

For once, the first day of school was actually enjoyable for Anika Heartlily. She had gotten used to the upper school and there was nothing that could have possibly ruined her day. She even found that she enjoyed being part of the tutoring program despite being hesitant to sign up. However, it went towards college credit and she knew that she would be a fool to turn it down. She had been assigned to Esther Moore, a third year girl who she remembered from her days at the lower school.

"Thank you for helping me," she had told Anika. "I thought no one was going to sign up at first..."

"You're welcome..." Anika had told her.

They had talked for a bit, well Esther had talked while Anika listened as were the instructions given to the tutors. She had mentioned her Pokémon, her friends, and her struggles in school. She revealed that the tutoring program was her one chance at being kept in regular classes after spending the majority of the previous year in special education. Anika wanted to help as best she could, but was concerned about being able to live up to her ability to assist her.

"_Where is he...?"_

She checked the time on her phone and sighed at her brother's tardiness as she leaned against the door of his old truck. Griff was always late when it was time to go. She assumed that he was probably talking to girls or possibly getting all the notes he could. He was in his sixth year now and vowed to actually take his final year in school seriously. After a few more moments, she checked her phone again only for it to go off. She looked at the name and debated for a few seconds before she decided to answer it.

"H-hello."

"_Um, hey, I wanted to wait until school was over before I called you._"

"L-listen, Nat, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but what do you want with me?"

"_I just called to see how your day went, that's all. I thought we agreed to be friends."_

"Why didn't you come today?"

"_I didn't feel like hearing everyone tell me __that __I was the worst person __in Kanto. I've been getting it nonstop since the...incident. No one will accept any of my apologies anyway."_

"You're going to have to come tomorrow or eventually."

"_You're right, you always are. Look, I'll call you back later, okay..."_

Anika hung up the phone and sighed once more. The situation with Nat was complex and it hurt to even think about it. It was wrong to take his side after he had brought this upon himself, but she saw how almost everyone was putting him at a distance. She did feel bad for him, but as far as her feelings and everything else went, it was a complete mess. Luckily, her brother's arrival managed to interrupt her from thinking about it further.

"Ready to go?" he asked. "Sorry it took so long for me to get out here. I-

"_Well, if it isn't the Hick-lilys!"_

Anika figured that she had jinxed herself when she thought that the day would go out without a hitch. Griff dropped his bag on the ground as Craig approached them with a few of the fifth year troublemakers. Craig and Griff's rivalry had become a hot topic at S.T.S. over the past year and Anika could already see a crowd forming in the parking lot.

"Griff..." she said, digging her nails into her brother's arm so that he could know how serious she was. "Let's go..."

"Hey, Craig..." Griff taunted, ignoring his sister's warning. "Didn't I already kick your ass last year, man?"

"Physically," Craig admitted. "But not in battling. It doesn't matter though because now, you can't beat me in either one."

Griff glanced at Anika and then turned his attention back to Craig.

"You know what, man," he said. "You're not even worth it. Come on, Anika, let's go home."

"Anika..." Craig said suddenly. "I forgot you were here. Damn, you're looking really hot these days. I guess you finally grew into those noodle arms and legs of yours. I can give you a ride home if you want. You just have to sit in my lap on the drive."

She knew that Craig was trying to rile Griff up and she hated the fact that it was working. He clenched his fists and marched up to Craig's face. The delinquent was grinning as he stared past Griff and for a moment, Anika thought that he was looking at her. She turned around and saw what Craig was actually gazing at and her eyes widened.

"Griff!" she shouted. "Don't!"

"After I'm done with Anika, maybe she'll introduce me to the rest of your family," Craig continued. "I mean, there has to be _some_ hot farm girls in that inbred bunch."

Griff immediately threw a punch at Craig, but the younger boy managed to duck and slam his fist into Griff's ribs. From the way he was holding them told Anika that it had been a hard shot. Griff shoved Craig onto the ground and hopped on top of him unleashing a flurry of punches as Craig attempted to block them.

"_FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"_

The chants were heard throughout the parking lot and in no time, the faculty were on the scene. Anika saw the two teachers that Craig had been staring at grab the scuffling boys and drag them towards the building. She was positively enraged and could not recall a time where she was as furious as she was at that moment. In only ten minutes, this first day at school had gone from her best to her worst.

* * *

"_You should have been there, Johnny. __I admit, he got a few good shots in and I'm definitely going to have a black eye, but __I set the whole thing up perfectly. The teachers saw Griff throw the first punch, so I'm only suspended__ for__ tomorrow while he got three days."_

"And you're proud of acting like a psycho?"

"_Oh, he had it coming after he embarrassed me last year."_

"You mean when he kicked your ass, right?"

"_Screw you, man. Have fun at practice."_

"I will. Have fun sitting at home tomorrow."

"_I will."_

Johnny hung up his phone and shook his head. He was entirely too busy for Craig's shenanigans and had too much to lose if he were to get involved with them. Craig was fun to hang around when it was time for entertainment, but Johnny found himself preferring to hang out with Tyler when it was time to actually achieve something of value.

As captain of the battling team, Johnny was responsible for making the line up for the battle game. The coach had put his faith in Johnny's ability to lead and win and he was going to prove that he made the right choice by putting him as captain of the intermediate team. The way the battling games worked at the upper school were slightly different than at the lower school. The games consisted of two one-on-one battles both worth one point each, a double battle worth two points, and the main event battle after halftime. The main event battle had each trainer use three Pokémon and a trainer gained a point each time an opponent Pokémon fainted. At the end, whichever team had the most overall points was declared the victor of the entire game.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Johnny called out to his chattering team sitting in the bleachers. "This is how the line up is going to go. I considered what would be the best line up to take on Cerulean, so this is how it's going to go. Drake is in the opening battle, Elyse is in the next one, Ellie and Nat are in the double battle, and I'm going to handle the main event myself. The rest of you are in the pre-game exhibition. Tyler and Xander are in charge of the pre-game this week, so be sure to listen to what they have to say. Got it, Del Grove?"

"I hear you, Hawkins," Loki replied.

"Alright," Johnny told them. "If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know...as long as they're not stupid of course. Now, today's practice is going to be short since it's the first day. Everyone find a partner and get to it."

Tyler paired up with Xander and Elyse paired up with Loki. Ellie paired up with Drake, but left Kadabra with him for a moment to approach Johnny. He already knew what she had to say, but decided to be courteous and let her speak.

"Is there any way for me to get another partner for the game?" she asked. "Anybody but him..."

"Do you want to beat Cerulean, Ellie?" Johnny asked her.

"Of course I do," she answered.

"Then you're going to have to work with him," Johnny said. "I honestly don't care about what happened between you two last year. It's in the past. All I care about is beating Cerulean and you and Nat are the best combo for the double battle against them. I just need you two to get along for this one game. Don't do it for him, don't do it for me, don't even do it for yourself. Do it for the team."

"Fine," Ellie stated. "I'll do it. If only because you make a good motivational speaker."

"Yeah, well I'm just so good at everything that I try," Johnny remarked.

Ellie rolled her eyes and went back to join Drake. Johnny overlooked the practice, making sure to give out pointers when necessary and used Houndoom to keep everyone focused if their attention started to drift. After half an hour, he signaled for the end of practice and went over to join Tyler and Xander. Before the could begin chatting, they were interrupted by Houndoom's excessive barking.

"What's wrong with him?" Xander asked.

"I have a good guess..." Tyler said as he gestured to the exit.

They saw a young man with dirty blond hair and dark green eyes. He was a bit shorter than them despite being the same age, but was noticeably muscular. They saw the Cerulean Trainer's School logo on his jacket and a Manectric by his side that was growling at Houndoom. On either side of him were two other trainers, both with the same jacket on. The third years stopped what they were doing and looked at their fourth year teammates, obviously confused about what was going on.

"Johnny-boy," the young man greeted. "Long time, no see."

"You have a lot of nerve coming to Saffron," Johnny snapped. "Why are you here?"

"Johnny, who is this guy?" Elyse asked, standing up for her seat on the bleachers.

"Guy..." Johnny answered.

"Yeah, but what's his name?" Loki asked.

"No, I meant his name _is_ Guy, you moron," Johnny told him. "Guy Wullinger, captain of C.T.S.'s battle team. Anyway, it's not going to matter what his name is in a few seconds because I'm about to stomp him into the dirt for even daring to step foot in here."

The Cerulean trainers laughed as Manectric began giving off sparks of electricity. Johnny managed to keep Houndoom under control for the time being, but it took all he had not to unleash him and his other Pokémon on the intruders.

"Why are you in our gym?" Tyler asked sternly, but in the same composed tone that he always used.

"Just checking out your rookies for this year," Guy responded. "They don't look like much to me."

"Then look again," Johnny told him. "Drake, come here for a second."

Drake glanced at Ellie, but she simply shrugged her shoulders. Handing her his gym bag, he made his way over to the group of older boys and stood beside Johnny. He was sure to make eye-contact with them to let them know that he was not afraid despite being younger and less experienced.

"Who is this little scrub?" Guy taunted.

"Who do you think you're talking about?" Drake growled.

"Yeah," Xander added, cracking his knuckles. "C'mon man, what you got?"

"This is Drake the Dragon," Johnny defended his younger teammate. "He's one of our top rookies this year and he's opening up in the game. So whoever you guys pick better get ready to lose. _Then_ after that, you're up against Explosion Elyse. Her sister may be sweet, but this McKinley over here knows how to fuck your shit up in battle and look amazing while she's doing it. You better get your tears out now because we're going to wipe the floor with Cerulean at the game."

"Is that so?" Guy said with a grin.

"It is," Johnny replied, getting directly in Guy's face. "And it's going to be me and you in the main event battle. I'm going to kick your ass so hard that the entire city of Cerulean will be able to feel it after the battle. Now, get the hell out of my gym."

Guy simply smirked at him and let out a whistle. Manectric jumped at Johnny, but Houndoom quickly intervened, blasting the electric Pokémon back with a well timed flamethrower. Johnny charged at Guy, but was quickly held back by Tyler.

"Don't get yourself kicked off the team before the first game, Johnny," Tyler told him. "We'll deal with them at the game."

"Get out..." Drake demanded, glaring daggers at the Cerulean trainers.

Guy simply let out a laugh and recalled Manectric to its poké ball as he and his comrades began to leave the premises.

"This isn't over Johnny-boy," he threatened. "Watch your back. All of you..."

* * *

**A/N: And chapter three is complete. Tensions are definitely rising, both good and bad, so who knows where things are going to go.**

**The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were: Amelie McKinley, Ace Torres, Anika Heartlily, and Johnny Hawkins.**

**As always, come to the forums to discuss this or any other story or to have fun. I'm up for any type of discussion. **

**Later!**


	4. Getting Down on Friday: Part 1

**Getting Down on Friday: Part 1**

The golden opportunity had presented itself to Felicity. Casting calls had gone out for a new independent film and she knew that she would be perfect for the leading role. The only issue was that auditions were being held in Goldenrod in the middle of a Friday afternoon when she was supposed to be in school. After a brief struggle with her conscience, she ultimately decided that she was going to skip school and make her way to the audition in Goldenrod. In Felicity's mind, she would not even need school if the success of the independent film eventually led to her getting a starring role in a Pokéstar Studios production.

"The first thing I need to do is get to the Magnet Train..." she said to herself as she scanned over the parking lot. "Ugh, where is he?"

Felicity thought about simply leaving campus and taking the bus to the Magnet Train, but there were risks in doing so. If the bus driver would probably not let her on if they knew she was ditching school. She thought about passing herself off as a roaming trainer as she had the acting skills to do so, but she remembered that she was actually on the covers of magazines now. Felicity suddenly began to realize that fame came at a price. However, she did not want to ride a disgusting bus in the first place, so that was going to be a last resort if anything. Luckily for her, it wouldn't come to that.

"So, Trixie," Craig said to the sixth year girl that he was chatting with next to his truck. "I heard you got a new tattoo. Can I check it out?"

"Maybe..." Trixie replied seductively. "If you can guess where it is..."

"Alright, then," Craig remarked with a grin. "How about-"

"Baby!" Felicity suddenly interrupted. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"_Baby_?" Trixie questioned. "Wait, you already have a girlfriend?!"

"No!" Craig quickly defended himself. "She's not my girlfriend and even if she was, c'mon from what I've heard about your reputation, that really shouldn't even be a factor at all..."

Trixie stormed off, leaving Craig to slap his forehead as Felicity fought to keep herself from laughing at his misfortune. As much as she needed his help, it was still nice to get some revenge on him for spilling all of their intimate secrets. Besides, it was not her fault if Craig could not keep himself from offending people.

"I need you to take me to the train station," she told him nonchalantly.

"Felicity," Craig started as he adjusted his shades. "Do you realize what you just did? I almost had Freaky Trix wanting me. Do you know what kind of things they say that girl is capable of?"

"No," Felicity replied. "But she looked gross anyway, so I probably just saved you from contracting something. You can thank me by giving me a ride to the train station."

"Why do you need me to take you to the train station?" Craig asked. "And why shouldn't I just tell you to fuck off and get out of my face for ruining part of my weekend?"

Felicity gave him her signature smile before giving him a heavy kiss on the mouth. At least in this way, she could frame it as her just doing it to get what she wanted rather than any lingering feelings she might have for him despite the fact that it was an even mixture of both. She had almost forgotten how good at kissing Craig was and actually had to force herself to break the make-out session.

"You know..." Felicity lowered her voice to a near whisper. "Maybe if you do this one teensy favor for me, I'll let you come over my house later tonight. I know you like it when I try on different outfits for coordinating.

"Lots and lots of nice dresses," Craig remarked with a grin. "Of course, my favorite outfit of yours is the birthday suit."

"Maybe if I'm in a good mood and land the role, I might have that one for you too. But you have to take me to the train station, cover for me in class, and be there to pick me up. Deal?"

"Alright," Craig replied. "I'm going to see _Night Slash_ tonight, so it'll be pretty late before I make it to your house. So, don't call the cops if I get there after midnight. Now, come on, let's go."

"Give me five minutes..." Felicity suddenly said. "I need to gather...an...entourage..."

In truth, she was a bit hesitant to go to Goldenrod all by herself. Although she had been there plenty of times in the past, it was different going without a companion even with Ivan evolving into a Venusaur. There was one person that she knew she could recruit for sure and the moment Felicity saw him heading her way, she grabbed him by the ear.

"Oww!" Darren yelled. "Felicity, what the hell?!"

"Shut up and get in Craig's truck," she ordered as she started dragging him. "We're going to Goldenrod. They're holding open auditions for a new movie and maybe you can get a bit part if you tag along."

"Well, I have a quiz today..." Darren noted. "But..."

"We won't need school if we make it big," Felicity reminded him. "Besides, you can always make up the quiz."

"Fine..." Darren said with a sigh. "You ready to go?"

"Give me a few minutes..." Felicity replied.

Darren was good to have around as an assistant, but she did not see any real use for him as an actual companion. Felicity was aware that his Pokémon were likely not as strong as hers due to Darren being a year younger. She mused on the fact that she was regarded as one of the more powerful battlers in her year despite primarily competing as a coordinator. In her mind, it was just another thing that separated her from the likes of Amelie, Jennifer, and Laila and made her much better than them in every way. She even considered retiring from the latter after her fifth or sixth year and shifting her focus to Trainer PR Videos and other endeavors.

"_Hi, Felicity!"_

She heard Kat's voice greet her and immediately, Felicity went into character. She gave Kat such a convincing smile that anyone who did not know her would think she was the most friendly and inviting person in Saffron. There was a part of it that was not acting though. Felicity did not find Kat annoying like the other girls in their year, so it was not too difficult to treat her with some degree of kindness. She also still needed the other girl's locker, but that goal was taking a backseat to her current one. Having Kat along for the trip would give Felicity someone to actually talk to.

"Kat!" Felicity greeted with mock excitement. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"You have?" Kat asked.

"Yep," Felicity answered. "I wanted to tell you that I'm going to an audition in Goldenrod today. And you and I will be going on a shopping spree once we get there, my treat."

"Wow, that sounds awesome!" Kat said. "It's too bad we have to wait a whole eight hours to go."

"Well..." Felicity continued with a smile. "What if we didn't have to wait?"

From the look on her face, Felicity could tell that Kat was starting to catch on. She was glad that the other girl did not appear to be too stupid and hopefully, she would not be an annoying goody-goody. Still, it was obvious that she was a bit hesitant to blow off school for the day, so Felicity decided that it was time to turn it up a notch.

"It's just one day..." Felicity urged in a pleading tone, even going as far as to make her eyes water. "I-I could go by myself, but Goldenrod's a big city, so I wanted to go with a...friend. Amelie and the other girls never include me in anything, so they would turn down the invitation if I asked them. I-I don't know why they don't like me..."

She buried her face in her hands and continued crying crocodile tears, mentally trying to keep herself from laughing as Kat attempted to comfort her.

"D-don't cry, Felicity," Kat said, genuinely concerned for Felicity. "I'll go with you to Goldenrod."

"Y-you will...?" Felicity mumbled.

Kat nodded and Felicity wiped her eyes before giving the other girl directions to Craig's truck. As she watched Kat walk away, Felicity actually felt a pang of guilt forming in her conscience. With Craig, she did not care what she had to use on him considering he was even worse than she was. With Darren, he already knew what she was like, so there was no point in even masking her behavior. Kat was different. She was a nice girl and Felicity would not have bothered with her in any other circumstance, but she knew that she had to be willing to do anything to reach her goals no matter how uncomfortable it made her feel.

"_Hey, Felicity, I need those notes from Poké Lit back __or I'm going to have to actually read the book__."_

While she was lucky to run into Kat, she definitely did not share that view when encountering Lyndon. It could have been worse though. She would rather deal with a hundred Lyndons than one Amelie.

"I don't have them," Felicity told him bluntly.

"What?!" Lyndon said angrily. "You said you were going to bring them back today! What's the deal?!"

"I'm not going to be in class today," Felicity said. "I'm going to Goldenrod to audition for a movie. I would invite you along, but I wouldn't want you to get in trouble by disobeying Ame-loser and I wouldn't want to deprive her of her loyal sidekick."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lyndon questioned.

Felicity shrugged her shoulders.

"Just speaking facts, sweetheart. I was going to see the National Park while I was in Goldenrod. You could do a lot of good there if you pointed out to the officials that trainer battles tend to get out of hand and disrupt the Pokémon at the park. Then again, you would probably mess it up. It'll be easier for you to just wait for Amelie."

"I could do it just fine," Lyndon challenged. "By myself."

"Prove it," Felicity countered with a grin. "Come with me to Goldenrod."

Lyndon appeared to be deep in thought as he struggled to make a decision. Ultimately, he gave a nod of approval and Felicity nodded back in respect. She had not intended on Lyndon actually choosing to go with her, but Felicity knew that it would upset Amelie. The temptation was too much to resist. She led him back to Craig's truck where Darren and Kat were waiting.

"Are you ready now?" Craig asked.

"Yep," Felicity said. "Let's get to the Magnet Train."

The ride to the station did not take long at all especially with Craig's driving. She was used to it, but the others certainly were not, save for Lyndon who seemed to enjoy the high speed. Felicity noticed that Craig had a bit of trouble seeing out of the eye that had been hit by Griff Heartlily earlier in the week. She was glad that Craig had the last laugh though. When they arrived to the station, she ushered everyone out so that she could talk to Craig in private.

"Thanks," she told him. "When I make it big, I'll let you come work for me...just not as a driver."

They both laughed and Felicity appreciated the rare times when she could relax around another human being.

"Alright, I'll cover for you guys like you said," Craig stated. "And text me when you get back so I can pick you up."

"Will do," Felicity said. "What time are you going to come over tonight? We might need to make it tomorrow night if it's too late."

"That's fine," Craig answered. "I'm going to a concert tonight, so tomorrow might be better. Good luck with your audition. I know you'll kick ass."

Felicity was stunned by the words of encouragement from Craig of all people. She did not know how to respond with words, but she thought a kiss would make her look too emotional. Instead, she embraced Craig in a hug, clearly stunning him in turn. Getting out of the truck, she waved him goodbye and went inside the station to board the Magnet Train.

If Craig's driving was fast, the Magnet Train was on the next level of speed. The foursome barely had time to sit down before the train had started and in less than twenty minutes, they were in Goldenrod City. While the others began to admire their surroundings once they left the station, Felicity looked at the time on her phone. There was no way she was going to be able to go shopping, visit the National Park, and make it to her audition on time, so she had to improvise even if it meant splitting the group. Reaching inside her purse, she handed Kat her credit card.

"Get whatever you want," Felicity told her. "It's on me. If you see anything cute that you think I might like, get it. I'll catch up if my audition ends on time."

"O-okay..." Kat said. "Call me if you need me."

She headed east and once she was out of sight, Felicity shifted her attention to Lyndon.

"I really don't care what you do," she told him. "Just be back here when it's time to go."

"Works for me!" Lyndon quickly replied as he tossed a poké ball in the air.

Charizard materialized and Lyndon hopped on his back before flying off towards National Park, leaving Felicity alone with Darren. She could not get rid of him as she needed to have someone to assist her and he wanted to try out for the movie as well, so she would stick with him for convenience.

"Auditions are being held at the Radio Tower," Felicity informed Darren. "Let's go before the line gets too long."

Unfortunately, people had already begun showing up by the time that they had arrived. The line to the Radio Tower stretched outside and Felicity quickly got agitated at having to wait. It was going to take all day at this rate and much to his misfortune, Darren was the closest person that Felicity could take her anger out on.

"This is all your fault!" she shouted.

"How?!" Darren yelled. "N-never mind! I have an idea."

"What could you possibly-"

"Oh, just shut up and follow my lead," he interrupted with a sigh.

Darren led Felicity to the door of the Radio Tower. The guards looked at them disapprovingly and they could see that they already had enough of people trying to cut in line.

"No..." both of them said in unison.

"A moment of your time, good sirs," Darren started. "Now, I know what you're thinking. We're just trying to cut in front and...you're absolutely right."

"What are you doing?!" Felicity whispered.

"But we have a good reason," Darren continued. "This girl you see before you is no ordinary wannabe actress that you've probably seen a hundred times today. No, this is Felicity Cole, one of the most well-known teenage models in the Kanto region. She was on the cover of this month's _Pokéteen _along with her illustrious Venusaur, Ivan. "

Felicity smirked as she pulled out one of the dozen autographed magazines that she carried around in her bag. She handed one to them and after looking over it and whispering something amongst themselves, they turned their attention back to the two teenagers.

"Looks legit..." the second guard remarked. "But, still, I don't know if we should..."

"Normally, I wouldn't want to cut in front of anyone," Felicity began as she turned her charm on. "But I have a photo shoot to get to, an interview after that, and I have to take my Vulpix to National Park. So much to do today and not enough time. Please, you have to make an exception."

"Fine..." the first guard relented. "I guess it wouldn't hurt just this once. Go on through."

Felicity could not resist turning back and smirking at the angry faces in the line behind them. She did not understand why they were furious anyway. None of them stood a chance against her in looks or skills. Once they were inside, she was about to give Darren his props for his frankly brilliant idea, but was interrupted by her phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"_Felicity, __I just got off the phone with Lyndon!"_

"Calm down, Ass-melie. You sound a little upset."

"_Why did you bring him to Goldenrod with you?! Do you know what could happen if you got caught skipping school? If you want to suffer the consequences, fine, but don't drag Lyndon along with you."_

"Oh, shut up. You're goody good girl rambling is annoying. I didn't put a gun to Lyndon's head and force him to come with me. He made that choice by himself. Besides, it was worth it to hear your reaction."

"_So, that's why you did this? To get at me? Okay, what is your problem with me?! You've been at my throat for no reason since we were four years old." _

"Oh, it's not just me that has a problem with you. You're annoying, self-righteous, and an attention whore. No one likes that."

"_Annoying, self-righteous, attention whore? I think it's time you looked in the mirror, Felicity..."_

Felicity's eyes widened as Amelie hung up the phone in her face. She could not believe that the cheerleader had the gall to talk to her like that. If it had been from Relena or Laila or Jennifer, Felicity would have simply laughed it off. However, because it was _Amelie_ of all people, she was positively infuriated. She would get her back, but it was not the time for that at the moment.

"You alright?" Darren asked curiously.

"Yes," Felicity answered coolly.

"Well," he continued. "While you and Amelie were having your verbal catfight, I talked to the director and got you the script that you're supposed to read. Your character is a teenage girl trapped in a fire calling for her mother. Should be a piece of cake."

"W-what...?" Felicity stammered.

"Yeah," Darren replied. "It's yelling two words for the most part. 'Help!' and 'Mom!'."

Felicity suddenly felt a lump grow in her throat as she began slowly backing away. Out of the billions of possible scenes she could have auditioned for, _this_ was the one that she had to do. She had to portray a fictional character that had someone that she herself did not. Craig was probably the only person she knew in a similar situation, so at least she'd have more confidence if he were here.

"I-I can't do this..." she said softly.

"What?" Darren said in confusion. "Felicity, what are you-"

She stopped paying attention to him and quickly made her way to the bathroom, ignoring Darren's calls for her. Felicity had to readjust herself if she wanted this part. She had to remember that once she was famous and successful, she would have everything and everyone that she wanted in her life. That goal gave her the willpower to collect herself and march back to the audition. Taking a deep breath, she stepped in front of the director and his two judges.

"Alright, Miss...Cole," the director said. "Let's see what you got."

"_Mom!" _Felicity screamed as she read from the script. "_Mom, help! Help me! Please, Mom! I can't breathe!" _She paused to let out some convincing coughs. _"Mom! Help me!"_

The moment she was finished, Felicity was met with a round of applause. The director congratulated her for a commendable performance and informed her to be on the look out for callbacks. Passing by Darren on the way out she gave him a smile and an encouraging pat on the shoulder as he went inside to audition for his part. As she waited for him to come out, Felicity took a few photos for some fans and handed out some autographed magazines for the people in the Radio Tower to give to their daughters.

"_Whose awesome?! Darren Hernandez, that's who_!"

Felicity rolled her eyes as Darren returned, obviously having done a good job with his performance. Before he could tell her how it went, Felicity looked at the time on her phone and quickly dragged him out of the tower.

"Let's grab the others and get back to Saffron."

They found Kat first outside of the department store and from the large amount of bags that she and her Pokémon, Meowth and Mr. Mime, were carrying, she had definitely taken Felicity up on her offer to buy as much as she wanted.

"Sorry, I didn't get a lot," Kat stated. "Not enough time to look at everything."

"Uh...yeah..." Felicity replied. "Let me help you with those...Darren, help Kat with her bags. I need to call Lyndon."

Darren muttered something under his breath as Felicity pulled out her phone, only to put it away once she saw Lyndon flying towards them. Once Charizard was close to the ground, Lyndon tried to jump off, but tumbled and crashed onto the pavement. Felicity made Darren help him up and the four of them headed back to the Magnet Train.

"What a day!" Lyndon said excitedly as they exited the train in Saffron. "I'd live at National Park if I could."

"You'd certainly fit..." Felicity remarked.

"I better head out," Kat said, her Pokémon following close behind with her various shopping bags. "Later, everyone!"

"I'm out too!" Lyndon added. "Catch you on the flipside!"

"I need some sleep," Darren said as Kat and Lyndon left. "Thanks for the fun day, Felicity. It actually wasn't terrible hanging out with you."

"You just be sure to take my clothes to the dry cleaners next week if you want to keep getting paid," she informed him.

Darren grinned and nodded before exiting the train station. Felicity wondered if Craig had already shown up. He was always late and she was certain that this would not be an exception. However, when she stepped outside of the train station, she found herself face-to-face with the last person she expected.

"D-daddy..."

"You left your lunch at home," Mr. Cole said in a calm tone, though it was clear as day that he was furious. "I thought you would like it if I brought your gourmet cooked food since you complain about having to eat school food. Lo and behold, you decide to sneak off to Goldenrod _after_ I specifically told you that no auditions on school days."

"Okay, but listen, Daddy," Felicity tried to explain herself. "I pretty much got the part, so it all worked out."

"You won't be going back to Goldenrod anytime soon," he told her sternly.

"Y-you can't do that!" Felicity yelled.

"We agreed that you could model and audition for movies whenever school wasn't in session," Mr. Cole continued. "You broke our agreement, so you're forbidden from auditioning or modeling until after you turn sixteen. End of discussion. Now, get in the car so that we can go home."

It took Felicity everything she had not to throw a fit as she got in the car. She always thought that her father was ignorant, but this was a whole new level. He usually gave her whatever she wanted, so she did not understand why he was being so strict all of a sudden. She knew the easiest way to get him back and immediately pulled out her phone to send out a text.

_To Craig_:

_I need you. Come over 2nite, dont care how late. We'll do everything you want and more. ;)_

* * *

"_Haunter, use shadow ball!"_

"_Alright, Wartortle, dodge and-"_

Instead of dodging, Wartortle tried to counter the shadow ball with an aqua tail, only to get hit in the side as he was turning, causing him to crash into the ground. Mike had been helping Drake train Haunter for the upcoming battle games with Cerulean, but while Electabuzz and Crobat had been helpful, Wartortle had constantly shifted between reluctantly obeying and outright defying his trainer.

"Listen, Wartortle," Mike said, clearly reaching his breaking point with the disobedient turtle Pokémon. "You need to dodge when I say dodge and attack when I say attack. Otherwise, you're going to keep getting hit and-"

Wartortle cut him off by spraying water at his trainer's face. Electabuzz quickly jumped to Mike's defense and gave Wartortle a rough shove. Before things could escalate into an actual battle, Mike recalled both of them to their poké balls and tried to take a deep breath to calm himself.

"Dude," Drake started as Relena entered the gate. "What's wrong with Wartortle?"

"I don't know," Mike answered. "He just keeps getting angrier and angrier..."

"Kind of like you if you think about it," Drake remarked.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Mike snapped.

"I'm just saying," Drake replied. "They say the feelings of trainers and their Pokémon are linked from time to time. Anyway, I think that's enough training for today. Me and Ellie are catching a movie with Nadine, Loki, and Esther. You two want to come along?"

"We can't," Mike told him. "Our ban isn't up for two more weeks..."

"Oh, that's right..." Drake said. "Well, I'll catch you two later. Haunter, let's go!"

They left Mike and Relena alone in the yard. Mike turned to face his girlfriend and she gave him a nervous smile. They had been banned from the theater for two months because of a fight with a teenager who worked at the ticket booth. It was easy to blame the entire thing on Relena since she continued arguing instead of ignoring the theater worker, but he was the one who had started it. He and Mike had eventually gotten into a shoving contest, but Relena was the one who drew first blood when she beamed him in the nose with a poké ball. Once security arrived and saw the blood, Mike and Relena were photographed and thrown out of the theater.

"If you would have just ignored him..." Mike mumbled.

"He was talking shit and got hit," Relena defended herself. "Babe, you don't let people disrespect you like that. Besides, you hit him before I did."

"That was only after he shoved me first," Mike countered. "And I only shoved him back. You damn near broke his nose!"

"So you're saying it's my fault we got banned?!" Relena yelled.

"You know what, no!" Mike raised his voice to match hers. "No! I'm not about to get into it with you today. I have too much going on right now."

Mike slumped back in one of the lawn chairs and let out a sigh of frustration. Relena took a seat on his lap and put an arm around his neck, hoping to calm him down. It was usually Mike trying to get Relena to relax, so this was a noticeable change of pace for both of them.

"We don't need to see a boring movie anyway..." Relena said, her deep blue eyes staring intensely and seductively into the hazel ones of her boyfriend. "We can do...other stuff for fun."

Mike found it a bit weird that Relena went from yelling at him to trying to seduce him in the blink of an eye, but he did not dwell on it. Every time they were alone, he could not help but to think about _that_ night last summer. Despite not going all the way with their escapades, they had gotten further and crossed more lines than they ever had before. They had not mentioned that summer night to each other since, but every time they were alone, the memories flooded back into their minds.

"Other stuff sounds fun..." Mike said with a grin. "But...this isn't exactly the place."

Mike stood up from the chair and took Relena's hand before leading her inside the house. The moment they entered the living room, Mike felt his anger returning. He saw his mother playing with Tori while his father was on the phone, congratulating Julie for her sorority achievements. They did not even notice that Mike was currently making his way up the stairs with a girl. Everything was always about his sisters, but if that was how things were, then so be it. It would only allow him to do what he wanted without any interference.

Mike and Relena made it to his room without any trouble. He shut the door behind them and the two of them resumed their activity. Relena's eyes appeared to be a bit glassy causing Mike to see if she was okay. Before he could open his mouth, her lips were on his and all of his troubles and concerns instantly melted away. The clumsiness that both of them had during their first few months as a couple were all but gone. However, Relena was always the most aggressive and forward of the two no matter how experienced they got.

"See?" she purred as she broke the kiss. "Isn't this much better than seeing a movie?"

"Definitely..." Mike replied as he tried to catch his breath. "Getting...uh, kinda hot in here."

"Yeah, I can feel it too."

Relena helped Mike out of his shirt before giving him a light shove onto the bed and removing her own top. He had always thought that Relena was cute even before they had started dating, but nowadays she was widely considered to be sexy by nearly everyone. She climbed on top of him and the two continued heavily making out. Relena slowly moved her hands towards Mike's pants, but the sound of the door opening made him jump up with enough force to send her flying off the bed, face first onto the carpet.

"Ouch!" she groaned as she rubbed her head.

"_Michael Richard Snowe!"_ Mike heard his mother's voice. "What is going on in here?!"

"Arceus, she used the full name..." Mike said with a gulp.

"I..." Relena started as she quickly found her top and covered her light blue bra. "I...should go..."

"You probably should," Mrs. Snowe told her. "Because I _will_ be calling your mother and telling her about this."

"Just what I need for this headache," Relena sighed as she rubbed her head.

Giving Mike an apologetic look, she quickly slid out of the room, leaving Mike alone with his mother. He had never seen the normally easygoing woman this furious in his life and did not know what to expect. As his mother began to yell at him, Mike's fear quickly transformed into anger.

"What were you thinking?!" Mrs. Snowe shouted. "You are too young-"

"Oh, so now I'm _too_ young?!" Mike cut her off as he put his shirt back on. "I'm not too young to wake myself up in the morning, walk all over Saffron, and run errands for you and Dad so you don't have to spend five minutes away from that little brat of yours!"

Mike stood up and walked past her and out of the room as she continued calling after him. He was intercepted by his father once he reached the living room and his mother joined them soon after.

"Talk to your son," Mrs. Snowe told her husband.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Mike shouted. "But it's funny that I'm your 'son' now. You two don't even act like I exist anymore. Everything's about Julie and Tori. Ooh, Julie and her sorority sisters just had another pillow fight! Isn't she _so__oo_ successful? Aww, Tori just crapped in her diaper again! Isn't she _ju__uuu__st_ the cutest?"

"Listen, Michael," Mr. Snowe said calmly. "I know you're angry, but we're not going to allow you to disrespect us in our home. Now, sit down and let's work this out."

Mike glared at both of his parents and did not move from his spot. It was bad enough that they paid him no attention, but now they had ruined his night and he was absolutely irate.

"Michael..." Mrs. Snowe started, attempting to soothe him with a more motherly tone. "Have you and Relena...?"

"We haven't had sex," Mike finished bluntly. A smirk crept upon his face. "Well...technically not. Would that upset you enough into acknowledging my existence again? I don't see why it matters though. Relena and I have been going out for over a year and a half. We're not just going to smooch in the treehouse anymore. "

"Well, do you love her?" Mr. Snowe asked.

The question caught Mike off guard. He was unsure of how to respond, but in his mind, it was just his father trying to deflect the situation. His issues with them had nothing to do with Relena and he was not going to let them get off track.

"O-of course I do!" Mike answered. "But that's beside the point. This isn't even about her. This is about you guys never giving any props. I make decent grades in school and I don't hang out with the wrong crowd. Everyone says that I'm the best mascot in S.T.S. history. I even made those damn bubble gloves myself! I do everything you guys ask me without complaint, but I never get _any_ credit. Neither of you know how hard my life is. I have to deal with bullies, people who hate me for no reason, and disobedient Pokémon on a constant basis. I don't care though, I don't need you guys to have my back. I have Ellie and Drake and Relena and Elyse and Loki and all of my friends."

Mike was seeing red at this point and his eyes were getting misty. He had finally let out his frustration at his parents and both of them seemed to be at a loss for words. It would be better for him to simply spend the weekend at Drake's place until he was able to cool down. The silence lasted for a few moments until it was broken by Tori's crying.

"Guess you better get that," Mike said in an emotionless tone as he grabbed his bag. "I'm going to Drake's for the weekend. I'll be back on Sunday."

Mike walked out of the front door and saw that it was starting to get dark outside. He was unsure if his parents were calling after him, but a part of him hoped that they did come after him. Regardless of the situation, the fresh breeze was therapeutic for him as he wandered down the street. Drake would not be home for a long time, so instead of going straight to his house, Mike decided to roam around the neighborhood for a little while. Crobat flew from the tree in the backyard to join him and he was thankful for her company.

"Here, Crobat..." he told her as he reached in his bag and retrieved a snack. "Eat up."

Crobat flapped her wings happily as Mike fed her the snack. Of his three Pokémon, Mike spent the least time with Crobat. Electabuzz was his partner-in-crime and Wartortle was...Wartortle, so they got the bulk of Mike's attention. He realized that he had been treating Crobat the same way he perceived his parents treating him. They even had the same place in order with Mike being the middle child and Crobat being the second one caught. The similarities continued when Mike noticed that he was the only boy while Crobat was the only female. He decided that from this point on, he was going to make an effort to spend more time with her.

Mike was not a naturally angry person, so it never took long for him to mellow out. He did _not_ like being so angry because it made him no different than Ace and the last thing he wanted to do was let it control his life. Having Crobat by his side also helped Mike temper his mood and he was mostly back to his jovial self in no time.

"_Keep it up, Taku!_ _We're going to have to go all out for the battle game. You're doing a great job!"_

Mike had not even noticed that he had arrived at Elyse's house. She lived in Starview, the same subdivision as he, Ellie, Drake, Loki, Esther, Lilly, and Nadine. Mike and Ellie lived across the street from one another on the east side of Starview, Loki and Esther lived next door to each other, a little further south from Mike and Ellie. Lilly and Nadine lived on the west side and Drake and Elyse lived to the northwest and northeast sides respectively. In order to make it to Drake's house from his house, Mike had to turn on Copper Street, but if he kept going north, he would end up at Elyse's house.

"Well, Crobat, we should've turned back there," he informed her. "But at least we can hang out with Elyse for a bit. Watch this."

Mike took a few steps back before dashing at the gate to Elyse's backyard. He leaped over it with ease and landed with a well placed somersault. Elyse was so busy with training her Nincada that she did not even notice her friend slowly creeping up behind her.

"Alright, Taku," she told him. "How about you take little bre-_wooooah_!"

Mike hooked his hands underneath her arms and lifted her into the air. With him now being several inches taller than her and much stronger than he had been as a twelve year old, he managed to get Elyse into the air with relative ease. He put her back down after a few more seconds and Crobat quickly flew into her tree.

"Your parents really should buy a higher gate," Mike told her with a grin.

"Then I wouldn't have the pleasure of you pulling pranks on me," Elyse replied. "Drake told me that you were helping him train?"

"Yeah..." Mike said. "It started out good, but Wartortle...Anyway, looks like you're using your Nincada for the first battle games. Nice. He's come a long way since you accidentally captured him."

"I caught him on purpose," Elyse remarked.

"I was with you when you caught him," Mike stated. "We were in Hoenn for that gymnastics tournament. You were battling a Taillow and missed when you threw the ball. Taku happened to be behind it and the ball hit him instead. Don't pretend like you don't remember-"

"Can't hear you, Mike!" Elyse interjected as she plugged her ears. "Caught Taku on purpose! End of story!"

Mike could not help but laugh. This was the side of Elyse that no one else ever really got to see. She was mostly serious in class, during games, even with Lilly and Nadine. In Mike's mind, it paid to befriend as many people as possible because you never really knew a person until you got close to them.

"Anyway, I was just stopping by to say hi," Mike told her. "I don't want to take up any more of your training time."

Elyse's eyes narrowed and Mike knew that she was trying to get a read on him. He really did not want to talk about his issues, but he knew that Elyse was going to make him.

"Tell me what's bugging you," she said. "And don't lie to me because I know something's bothering you."

"Everything's fine..." Mike replied.

"Mike..." Elyse said sternly.

"Alright," Mike said in defeat. "You win. Everything is bothering me, Elyse. It's like with every positive, there's a negative to go along with it. I have a pretty girlfriend who I like a lot, but she gets in fights all the time and has crazy mood swings. I have three awesome Pokémon, but Wartortle won't obey me and I keep losing to jerks like Craig. My parents were always there for me...and now they're not...I just wish I was like you."

"Like me?" Elyse questioned.

"Great gymnast, great student, great trainer," Mike replied. "I always wanted to be like you."

"That's great to hear, Mike," Elyse said with an encouraging smile. "But while it's okay to get inspiration from people, the only person you should try to be is yourself. I learned that growing up and having Amelie as an older sister. Besides, things aren't always perfect for me either. I haven't told anyone else this, but I've been worried about losing to Cerulean since school started. Having to hear Johnny's mouth is one thing, but what really scares me is failing my team and the school. I don't show it because I have to bring out the best in myself and everyone that I can. If you bring out the best in yourself, Mike, you'll be able to face your problems head-on."

Mike did not know what it was, but he always felt better after talking with Elyse. She was definitely wise beyond her years. Her insight was valuable and she was probably the only one of his friends he could not recall ever getting into an argument with.

"Thanks, Elyse," he said. "You always know what to say."

"I got some stuff off my chest too," she stated. "Now I know that we're going to win against Cerulean. Looks like you helped me just as much as I helped you. Remember that, Mike."

"Will do...

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was SO long, it had to be split into two sections. Part 2 will be out in a few days or so and after that we'll be at the big battle game with Cerulean, so the plot is definitely jumping off. And things are getting pretty heated right now.**

**The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were: Felicity Cole and Mike Snowe.**

**As always, come to the forums to discuss this or any other story or to have fun. I'm up for any type of discussion. **

**Later!**


	5. Getting Down on Friday: Part 2

**Getting Down on Friday: Part Two**

Anika was excited to see the B that Esther had gotten on her first daily assignment. Esther's reaction when she stopped by with her friend, Loki, to show her after school made everything that much better. Anika enjoyed helping people, but the main thing that had held her back in the past was her crippling shyness. She had grown more confident in the past year due to her experiences, both good and bad.

"Thank you again," Esther told her. "This is probably the highest grade I've gotten on a daily assignment since...well ever."

"I _still_ haven't gotten a grade that high on a daily assignment..." Loki lamented.

"Keep up the good work, Esther," Anika replied. "Pretty soon you'll have A's."

"I'll definitely keep trying as hard as I can," Esther said. "Loki, are you ready to go to the movies?"

"Yep, let's hit it!" Loki said.

Esther headed out first and Loki started after her, only to suddenly stop and turn back towards Anika. She did not know much about the younger boy other than he was on the battling team and Esther's best friend. She often overheard a few of the older girls remarking upon his good looks and even she had to admit that they were definitely not exaggerating.

"Listen..." he started. "I...uh...wanted to say thanks. It's been a long time since I've seen Esther this happy. I know we don't really know you all that well, but if you see us around at school or anywhere else, don't be a stranger."

Anika gave him a slight smile and nod as he exited out the front door. Fortunately for Anika, most people that she had interacted with over the past year were nicer than the likes of Craig or even Nat, so becoming more sociable had been easier than she had imagined. Griff himself was actually quite well-known throughout the school and would probably be even more popular if they did not have the 'hillbilly' stigma attached to them. Even though she believed that his actions were beyond foolish, he was only defending himself from Craig's insults. Anika had to constantly remember that not everyone could simply ignore the bullying like she could.

"Hey..." she greeted to her brother as she entered the room. "I stopped by to see if you were hungry or anything? Mom and Dad already said that you'll be off punishment on Monday, so it's just one weekend."

"Nah, I'll pass," Griff answered. "I reckon a suspension in your last year of school looks pretty bad on a college application, huh?"

"Listen, Griff," Anika began. "Craig is a massive jerk and I definitely would not be against anyone defending themselves against him. He only messes with you though because he knows he can get underneath your skin. Ignore him if you can and you'll take away all of his power. You can choose to listen to me or not, but I'm just letting you know right now that I'm not going to involve myself in anymore of your drama. I know you're just looking out for me, but I can take care of myself."

She did not want to sound too harsh. After all, she appreciated her brother for everything he had done for her. The look on his face told her that she had managed to get through his thick skull and that he understood what she was saying. Anika decided to leave Griff to his thoughts as she made her way back to the living room. Theseus, her recently evolved Kirlia, had placed himself by the television and was eagerly awaiting her return.

"Is it on yet?" she asked curiously to which Theseus nodded. "I guess I'm just in time."

Anika grabbed the pen and paper on the table as she took a seat on the sofa. After attending a few of the battle games at school over the past year and a half, Anika had developed an interest in battling. If it had not been for the drama with Nat and her general reclusive nature, she would have considered trying out for the team. She would have another chance next year and was determined to go for it.

"_Welcome to Trainer House LIVE! I'm your handsome host, Jared Locke, and we have an exciting show for you tonight!"_

Most people did not take notes while watching their favorite television shows, but Anika was an exception. She observed every technique used during the battles and wrote down anything that might be helpful for her in the future. What Anika also found interesting was the fact that several of the battlers reminded her of her classmates. The arrogant, pretty-boy host was a mixture of Johnny, Nat, and Felicity with a dash of Tyler since the host did have noticeable redeeming qualities. The hippie trainer had Amelie's activist nature along with Lyndon's personality while the fortuneteller was a dead ringer for her old acquaintance, Lizzy Haze. Lastly, the most powerful trainer on the show was essentially Craig incarnate with his bad boy personality, although he was not a bully and was vastly less irritating than Craig. The sound of the doorbell ringing brought Anika back to reality.

"Huh?" she said as she glanced at Theseus. "Who could that be?"

Anika walked over to the front door and was surprised when she saw who was standing there. The thin girl's brown hair and hazel eyes were normal, but her clothes seemed to consist of odd fabrics sewn together. That immediately clued Anika into who she was, but it was still hard to believe.

"It's really me, Anika," the girl told her with a warm smile. "It's been a long time."

Anika did not know how to react. Although they had not been extremely close in the past, she did consider the girl a friend. They weren't in the 'inner circle' with the boys like Amelie, Jennifer, Laila, or even Felicity were, so Anika thought she found a kindred spirit. Still, the girl at the door had a lot of explaining to do before Anika engaged her fully.

"Lizzy...Haze..." Anika greeted coolly.

"May I come in?" Lizzy asked.

"Only if you feel like answering some questions because I have a lot of them," Anika told her clearly. "Come in..."

* * *

The entire week leading up to the _Night Slash _concert had been a large hurdle for Ace and Amy to overcome. The main concern was the fact that the band would be performing their entire set. Ace did not have a curfew on the weekends, but Amy did and they did not know how long the band would be performing past her curfew. Timing and luck would have to be on their side if they wanted to stay for the entire performance and get Amy home on time.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Amy assured her boyfriend. "Let's just have fun."

"I guess you're right..." Ace replied.

The sun had gone down completely by the time Ace and Amy had arrived at the concert. People were quickly filing in and the couple made sure to find their seats before it got too crowded.

"Ace, look on stage!" Amy said excitedly.

The band had not arrived on stage yet, but their Pokémon were already there entertaining the crowd. The five Pokémon of the band consisted of a Liepard, an Absol, two Weavile, and a Zoroark. Even though Liepard belonged to the lead singer, it was the lead guitarist's Absol that was the band's mascot. All five of the Pokémon were performing their signature attack, night slash, in front of the growing crowd in order to get them excited for the performance.

"_Amy?!"_

They saw Lilly Acres standing next to them in the aisle. Ace was not really surprised that the two of them had ran into someone they knew. Everyone had heard about _Night Slash_ coming to Saffron, so Ace thought it would be foolish to think that he and Amy were the only fans of the band. Even if it were not for Amy, Ace would have been unaffected by Lilly's arrival. He thought that she was by far the most tolerable out of her friends. Nadine was annoying to the point where she could almost rival that clown Mike and Elyse's serious nature reminded Ace too much of himself, despite the fact that he would never admit that she intimidated him even if it was only a tiny bit. Compared to those two, Lilly was relatively easy to coexist with.

"Lilly?!" Amy exclaimed. "You like _Night Slash_?!"

"They're part of the reason I got into music!" Lilly explained happily. "Elyse is busy training and Nadine went to the movies, so I had to come by myself. I didn't think I'd run into anyone I knew here!" She grinned and then glanced at Ace. "Well hello, Mr. Cheerful."

"Hey..." Ace mumbled.

Before the conversation could go any further, the three of them were approached by a familiar face. Ace glared at the older boy, but he only smirked in response as his attention shifted to the stage and back at them again.

"Would you look at what the Meowth dragged in?" Craig Kelton taunted. "I mean, I half-expected to see Rome-emo and Juli-hex at a _Night Slash_ concert so that's no big surprise, but Lilly-vag, you're here too?"

"It's _Lillyvanth_, jackass," Lilly snapped back.

"Whatever," Craig replied. "I guess Baby McKinley and Never-Shut-Up Nadine decided not to come with you. Those two probably listen to boy bands and all that crap. I can tell you actually have taste. Still, you probably shouldn't be seen with these two. Not good for the reputation."

"Get lost, Kelton," Ace told him sharply. "We're not at school, so you should probably watch yourself."

"I'm so terrified..." Craig mocked.

"Can't you see they're on a date?" Lilly spoke up. "Why don't you leave them alone?"

"Date...? Wait, I was just joking about the Romeo and Juliet stuff. You two are actually..."

The look on Craig's face changed from his usual sneer into something different. It was not threatening, but it was not entirely sympathetic either. It appeared to be an expression of slight understanding, similar to the one he had after the double battle against Ace and Mike two years ago. Ace hoped that meant that he would leave them alone, but it was never easy to tell what was going through the mind of Craig Kelton.

"Well..." he continued. "I guess I can't cause too much trouble at a _Night Slash_ concert. I don't want to get kicked out. Listen, I have some extra front row tickets if you three want 'em."

Ace's first thought was to immediately decline. Even if Craig was being genuine, Ace did not care to be in close proximity with him. However, their row was a bit far from the stage and Ace would be lying to himself if he said that he did not want to move a bit closer. At the very least, he felt that he should do it for Amy's sake.

"How did you get those?" Amy asked curiously.

"You guys know that fifth year girl that they call Double D's Debbie?" Craig explained. "Well, her dad is friends with _Night Slash's _manager, so she was able to get me these tickets after a little...sweet talking. Johnny and Xander are too busy with those cheerleading bimbos of theirs and Nat is still being a little bitch over what happened last year. So, I have three extra tickets that are going to go to waste anyway if you guys don't take 'em."

"Well, I'm not one to turn down free stuff!" Lilly immediately stated. "Even from Craig..."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a closer view..." Amy said. "What do you think Ace?"

"As long as I'm as far away from him as possible..." Ace muttered.

He did not want to make it look like he was readily accepting Craig's offer so it made sense to him to phrase in a way that made it seem like he was doing it reluctantly. They quickly made their way to the front row and the crowd began erupting as the band members started to come out. Zix, Zara, Zena, Zaffre, and Zan of _Night Slash_ were on stage in the flesh. While Ace managed to keep himself under control, the other three were showing no restraint in their cheering.

"_I LOVE YOU ZIX!_" Lilly shouted.

Even Ace had to chuckle at Lilly's shrieks, noting that she was by far the most excitable of them all. It was rare that he got a chance to just have fun and he certainly was not going to ruin it for anyone else. _Night Slash _all dressed in the same ripped black jeans and black vests with Absol on the back. Their hairstyles set them apart though. Zix had snow white hair in a large mohawk, Zara had a mass of frizzy, dark blue hair covering her eyes while Zena's hair was neon yellow and kept in a pixie cut. Lastly, the twins, Zaffre and Zan, both had mops of shaggy bright red and green hair respectively.

"Alright, Slashers!" Zix yelled to the crowd. "Hope you all are ready for the best damn show in Saffron history! We got something special planned at the end too, so stay put and stay chilled!"

_Electrode Explosion_ was the first of the band's set that they played and it was definitely a song that hyped up the crowd. Ace was certain that he would be half deaf by the time the night was over. With each consecutive song, the crowd's intensity increased and by the time the band had play their entire set, it looked as if the fans were about to start rioting from sheer excitement.

"We're not done yet, Slashers!" Zara announced. "We've got a gift for whichever one of you can beat Zix and Absol in a battle! So, who wants to give it a go?!"

Everyone began shouting, hoping to be picked. Ace himself was too awestruck to imagine getting on stage with _Night Slash. _Amy appeared to be in a similar state of mind, but Lilly and Craig were eagerly shouting along with everyone else.

"Okay..." Zara continued as the spotlight shined on Craig. "How about...you?! The cute guy with the biceps!"

"Yes!" Craig cheered triumphantly as he hopped on the stage.

Zara greeted him with a hug and a quick peck on the cheek, but Ace could tell that Craig wanted the embrace to last much longer. Zix and Absol walked towards the front of the stage as the other band members and their Pokémon moved backwards. Craig did not seem to be nervous at all despite having the eyes of hundreds of people on him.

"Alright, kid!" Zix started. "Think you can handle it?!"

"Hell yes!" Craig answered. "I'm the strongest trainer in my entire school! Zix, you rock, but I'm still gonna kick your ass!"

"Cocky, aren't you?!" Zix replied. "I like that. Let's get to it!"

Ace wondered if Craig was going to use Primeape or Nidoking for the battle. Primeape was fast and had a clear type advantage over Absol, but he knew that Nidoking was Craig's most powerful Pokémon. However, the older boy decided against both of those and surprisingly went with Raticate.

"Idiot..." Ace muttered to himself.

"Swords dance!" Craig commanded immediately.

Ace saw the glowing swords encircle Raticate and vanish as fast as they appeared. Zix ordered Absol to use double team, but Craig only commanded another swords dance in turn. Ace did not see how this would be a feasible strategy. It did not matter how strong Raticate got if he could not hit Absol.

"Scary face!" Craig told Raticate.

Raticate's pupils disappeared and he bared his teeth. The rat's scary face was so demonic that Ace assumed that he must have learned it from Craig himself. Even the dark type Absol seemed to be disturbed by it, definitely enough to slow him down.

"Double-Edge, full power!" Craig commanded.

"Absol, quick use-

It was too late. Raticate charged at Absol, leaving a trail of gold energy behind him. The rat Pokémon slammed into Absol with enough force to send him flying into the stage lights. The battle was over as quickly as it had started. From what he had heard from the conversations of his schoolmates and what he had experienced battling against Craig himself, his battling style was to strike hard and fast and end things as quickly as possible. Johnny was one of the best, but he was flashy and relied on powerful moves that looked cool while his best friend was the opposite. Craig just wanted to win and prove his superiority.

"Damn, Zix!" Zara said. "Looks like this kid wasn't lying!"

"I'd say!" Zix agreed. "Alright, kid, you won fair and square!"

Ace's eyes widened as Zix took off his guitar and handed it to Craig. The girls were as stunned as Ace was and Craig looked like he was trying his hardest to keep from screaming in joy. Upon closer inspection, Ace noticed that the guitar even had Zix's signature on it. Craig returned to them and gave a nod of satisfaction. Ace decided to let him have his moment and not antagonize him.

"Gotta admit, Craig," Lilly told him. "You kicked ass."

"That is what I do," he affirmed. "It's pretty late. You guys need a ride home?"

Amy checked the clock on her phone and gulped. When Ace checked the time himself, he instantly knew why. Amy had to be home in seven minutes and there was no way that they would be able to make it on time if they walked. They needed Craig.

"Can you get to the southwest side of Starview in about six minutes?" Ace asked him.

"All I need is three," Craig answered. "I will require gas money though."

"Fine..." Ace grumbled.

The ride was mostly spent in silence save for Lilly telling Craig to slow down. Amy looked like she was worried for her life and Ace questioned how Craig could even get a license with his atrocious driving. Nevertheless, he delivered upon his promise and had them at Amy's house in no time.

"Mind if I crash here tonight?" Lilly asked her. "I'm way too pumped to go home right now."

"Sure," Amy said. She turned to Ace and smiled before giving him a soft kiss. "Thanks for the great night. I'll call you in the morning."

"Yo, Lilly-vag," Craig called after her. He opened his door and handed her Zix's guitar. "I think you forgot something."

"W-what...?" Lilly said in disbelief. "B-but..."

"Eh, you make better use of it than I can," Craig remarked. "I was just going to sell it online. Now, why don't you two ladies hurry up and get inside? I don't have all night, I still have to take Mr. Positive over here home."

Ace was about to tell Craig that he could make it home from Amy's house, but decided against it when he sped off. Now that it was only the two of them the awkwardness skyrocketed. Craig had tormented him less than Johnny had in the past, preferring to focus on Mike, but he still did not make things easy for Ace. He did not understand why Craig would give them front row tickets, drive them home, and even give Lilly a valuable prize that he had won. Ace had the same confusion when Mike had continuously attempted to show him kindness before finally getting fed up. Craig was a thug, Mike was a clown, and Ace was the outsider. Those were labels that everyone stuck them with and they were supposed to fall into their roles, so Ace did not understand why everything was so confusing.

"Why...?" Ace asked. "I don't get you. Why would you do all this?"

"What are you droning on about?" Craig said with a sigh.

"The tickets, the ride, the freakin' guitar," Ace replied.

"I'm not an ass all the time," Craig answered simply. "That gets boring and it looks like you're finally starting to figure that out for yourself. Look, I saw that you were trying to impress a girl and I thought I'd help you out. I'm not going to mess up anything like that. Now, I think we're at your place, so pay up and get out. I have a hot model waiting for me to come over."

Ace gave Craig a small amount of money before hopping out of the truck. He wanted to say thanks, but could only give Craig a nod. The older boy appeared to understand and replied with a nod himself before driving off. Ace entered his home with a small, but noticeable smile on his face. It had definitely been a Friday for him to remember.

* * *

**A/N: So, this chapter was lighter and a bit more character driven than plot driven, but its always nice to slow down every once in a while. Additionally most of the characters in this chapter (bar Craig) don't get as much page time as other characters, so it's always fun to share the spotlight. The battle game with Cerulean City is next chapter, so get ready for that!**

**The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were: Anika Heartlily and Ace Torres**

**As always, come to the forums for discussion on this story or any other stories or just to hang out. I won't bite, I promise!**

**Later! **


	6. Cerulean Catastrophe: Part 1

**Cerulean Catastrophe: Part 1**

While Tyler preferred actually being a part of the battling games, being in charge of the pre-game exhibition was significantly less stressful. He worked well with Xander and not having to deal with Johnny barking orders at him made things much better. The pre-game exhibition was designed to get the crowd excited for the battle games and allowed much more freedom for the participants.

"Hey, West," Xander started. "You seen Loki? I wanted to congratulate him for doing a good job during the exhibition. I've looked everywhere, but I haven't found him yet. We need to know where he is before the game starts. With Cerulean here, Johnny wants to make sure everyone's accounted for."

"Where is Johnny?" Tyler asked.

"Giving one of his speeches to the third years," Xander answered.

"Alright, I'll go look for Loki," Tyler said as he handed Xander a poké ball. "Stay on the field and keep everyone entertained. My Ampharos will definitely be happy to help you. We need to make sure Johnny doesn't find out about this. He's already stressed out as it is."

"Got it."

Tyler figured that the cheerleaders would have an idea about Loki's whereabouts, so he decided to ask them first. However, when he approached them, he was greeted by the sight of the cheerleaders trying to break up an argument between Polly the Poliwhirl and Benji the Beedrill. Though Tyler knew that it was Mike who was underneath the Poliwhirl costume, that knowledge did not make the scene any less bizarre.

"Your tadpole should watch where he's performing!" Benji the Beedrill yelled.

"Screw you!" Mike shouted back, slightly muffled by his costume. "I was performing on my side of the field. It's not my fault that your routine can't match the speed of mine! Guess I'm just too intense for Cerulean. Plus, we're the home team anyway, the whole field is ours!"

"Laila, what's going on here?" Tyler asked the nearest cheerleader.

"Cerulean is behaving like Cerulean," Laila told her bandmate. "That's basically it. Even their mascot is a douche. Mike is a kid and Benji the Beedrill over here is like seventeen or eighteen."

"I can't wait until we own you in the battles!" Benji continued shouting at Mike as he got directly into the younger boy's face. "You won't have much to flip around about after we stomp you into the dirt!"

"Why wait until the battles?" Mike challenged. "I'm right here. I'll rip that stinger off your butt and shove it down your throat."

Tensions were heating up quickly and if things continued to escalate, Tyler knew he would have to do his duty to Johnny and intervene. Even if it were not for Johnny, Tyler felt that he would still defend Mike if it came down to it. It turned out that Amelie had a much quicker reaction than he did. She stepped in between the two fighting mascots and Tyler knew that she was trying her best to keep things from breaking out into chaos for the umpteenth year in a row.

"Mike," Amelie began calmly. "I need you to try to calm down. Everyone needs you to boost the team's morale and you won't be able to do that if you get suspended before the first battle. Do I need to remind you that Drake is up first? And after him is Elyse and then Ellie after her. I think they'll be upset if they don't see you out here supporting them."

Mike sighed and opened the flap on the costume to reveal his sweat matted mop of brown hair. He pushed as much of it out of his face as he could with his gloved hand, obviously thinking over Amelie's words.

"You're right, Amelie," Mike admitted after a few moments of silence. "I'm not going to let this guy ruin the game for me. Sorry about all of this, ladies. I know I shouldn't be acting this way. I'm not twelve anymore."

"Maybe you should go get some water," Kat suggested to him.

Mike nodded his head before giving Cerulean's mascot one of the nastiest glares that Tyler had ever witnessed and walking off to the sidelines. Benji the Beedrill let out a laugh and Tyler could tell that the cheerleaders were trying their bests to keep calm.

"I thought the so-called 'best mascot in Kanto' would be something better than a glorified gymnast with bubble gloves," Benji taunted. "Kid's a complete amateur."

"Is there something in the water in Cerulean?" Laila countered.

"Or are you guys just assholes by nature?" Jennifer finished.

"Both of you, stop," Amelie told them. "Especially _you_, Jen. The last thing we need is you getting reprimanded. Johnny will go on a warpath if that happens."

"Can't wait to see Guy embarrass Hawkins in the main event," Benji continued. "Not that you'll even make it that far. See you around, Saffronettes."

Benji made his way back to Cerulean's side of the field, leaving the cheerleaders to their devices. The battle games with Cerulean were always a headache and this year was no different. It took things calming down for a moment before Tyler even remembered that he was supposed to be looking for Loki.

"Sorry to intrude," Tyler told them. "I'll only need a moment of your time."

"Don't worry about it, Tyler," Laila replied with a teasing grin. "You are a breath of fresh air. Isn't that right, Amelie?"

"W-well…" Amelie stammered. "A-a breath of fresh air…y-yeah. Definitely a breath of fresh air."

"What do you need?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"We're looking for Loki," Tyler explained. "Have any of you seen him around? He disappeared after the exhibition."

"Mike might know," Kat answered. "I saw him talking to Loki earlier. Maybe you should ask him?"

"Right," Tyler said. "Thank you for your help."

"Uh…one more thing," Amelie stopped him as the other cheerleaders dispersed. "Can you talk to Mike and see if he's okay? It's his first time performing for the upper school, so he's a little overwhelmed. Benji the Beedrill really didn't help matters."

Tyler nodded his head and Amelie responded with a smile before she went to join the other cheerleaders. In truth, she was much more suited to helping others feel better than he was, but Tyler was going to honor her request. He approached Mike and saw that the younger boy was trying to recollect himself on the bench.

"Listen," Tyler began. "Your situation is not unique. Cerulean has a habit of getting underneath everyone's skin whenever they're around. Your behavior isn't anything worse than the usual."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Mike replied. "This is my first time performing at an upper school game and it's like I already have this reputation of being this super mascot."

"Do you feel like you have to live up to that?" Tyler asked.

"Kinda…" Mike said. "It's not even just that. My parents are going to miss some of my performance since they had to find a babysitter for my little sister. They always used to be the first ones at all my events, but now…Listen, I don't mean to whine about all my problems. That's probably not what you came over here to listen to."

Mike's mention of his parents did make Tyler think of his own. Unlike Mike's parents, Tyler's parents would not be coming to this game or any future ones. Looking up into the crowd, he noticed that Johnny's mother was already there. Like Tyler's parents, Dr. Hawkins was an extremely busy woman, but even she always made time for her son's events. As far as his personal feelings about the lack of support from his parents was concerned, Tyler was apathetic or at least that was what he told himself.

"_Hey, babe, I got your bubbles!"_

Tyler was grateful for Relena's interruption as it saved him from thinking about his parents. The pretty blonde handed Mike a bottle of bubble soap and Tyler figured that it would be best to ask about Loki now. He assumed that one of them must have seen him.

"…So, I don't need to go over to Cerulean's side and break everyone's bones?" Relena asked Mike as he finished telling her of his confrontation.

"No need to," Mike told her as he finished filling up the compartment on his gloves with the soap. "I told Benji the Beedrill that I would rip the stinger off his ass and shove it down his throat if he kept it up."

"Damn, that's my boo!" Relena said with a grin. "You're starting to sound like me. I'm so proud."

It was quick, but Tyler saw the expression on Mike's face briefly change. He could tell that the younger boy was taken aback by his girlfriend's comparison of them and did not know how to react.

"Have either of you seen Loki?" Tyler spoke up in an attempt to shift the focus. "We've been looking all over for him."

"I think I saw him heading inside with a girl…" Relena noted. "Yeah, now that I think about it…it was a Cerulean cheerleader! That moron!"

Tyler let out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead. Now he definitely had to find Loki before Johnny did or this was going to turn into one giant mess. He left Mike and Relena to their devices and rushed inside the building. He knew from Craig's dozens of sex stories that there were quite a number of places on the school grounds for two people to sneak off to. Time was running out, so Tyler knew he had to quickly search every single location.

"In here…?" Tyler said to himself as he found an old supply closet near the locker room.

"_You know I'm going to kill him, right?"_

Johnny approached Tyler, looking more annoyed than angry. Tyler took that as a good sign that he could reason with his friend and spare Loki some of his wrath.

"How did you…?"

"The Ceruleanettes came up to me and told me that they were missing a cheerleader," Johnny explained. "Loki wasn't with the other third years. Logical conclusion, the Ceruleanette used her evil Cerulean girl magic on Loki. Now, you might want to stay out here because this isn't going to be pretty."

Before Tyler could even process his warning, Johnny swung the door open and marched into the closet. Tyler heard screams and yelling before he saw a pretty, red-haired Ceruleanette running out, trying to adjust her top. Seconds later, Johnny was dragging Loki out by his arm.

"Johnny, what the hell?!" he shouted.

"Fornicating with the enemy!" Johnny shouted back as he slapped him upside his head. "Vermilion, Celadon, or Fuschia girls are alright with me, but a Cerulean one?! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"What are you talking about?!" Loki defended himself. "I wasn't 'fornicating' with anyone, whatever that means. We were just screwing around."

"That's what fornicating means you dumbass!" Johnny yelled.

"Oh…" Loki said. "L-look what happened was that she came up to me after-"

"Save it," Johnny replied with a sigh. "I'm not going to kick you off the team. You're too valuable as a battler. So, we're not going to tell the coach or anyone else. We're going to keep this under wraps and forget this ever happened. Now, your buddy Drake is about to battle and it'll be nice if he had your support. Don't let this happen again and for Arceus' sake I hope you didn't contract anything."

Loki scurried off and Tyler found himself wondering how things really went down between Loki and the cheerleader. He found it a bit disconcerting that Johnny was more worried about the fact that the girl was from Cerulean than the fact that she was at least a year or two older than Loki. Saffron and Cerulean's hatred for one another overtook everything.

"Are you alright?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Johnny told him. "I just want everyone on point. We can't lose to Cerulean. I'm madder at myself than Loki or anyone else. I need to get a better control of the team if I'm going to be a decent captain. Now, enough of this emotional stuff. We need to get back to the field…"

* * *

Elyse replayed every single strategy that she had practiced with her Nincada inside her head. She had decided on coming up with seven different strategies that she could utilize. While Elyse did not believe in luck, seven just seemed like a proper number. Her friends would say that she was over-prepared, but there was no such thing as too prepared in Elyse McKinley's head.

"_ELYYYYSE!" _

If anyone could snap someone out of their thoughts, it was Nadine. It did not matter how self-disciplined you were. It really was not a good time to talk, but Elyse would always make an exception for one of her best friends.

"Did you come to see Drake?" she asked. "He's about to battle in a few minutes."

"I actually came to see if you were okay first," Nadine replied. "Are you ready to kick Cerulean's ass?!"

"You know it," Elyse answered her with a slight smile. "Wait, where's Lilly?"

"She went to some music store opening thing with Craig," Nadine explained. "But it's weird though. They don't seem to like each other like that. She's acting like he's her 'bro' more than anything."

"Guys and girls can be friends, Nadine," Elyse informed her. "Just look at Amelie and Lyndon."

"I guess you have a point," Nadine said. "Still, it's Craig. He's such a greaseball."

Elyse could not argue with that despite the fact that she preferred not to talk about people when they were not around even if it was someone like Craig. Fortunately, Drake's arrival onto the field changed the topic. Nadine blew him a kiss from their spot on the sidelines before she had to clear out. Since she was going after Drake, Elyse had a front row seat to the battle that was about to unfold.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, the battle game between Saffron City and Cerulean City is now underway. In our first battle, we have Drake Hicks of Saffron against Brent Norwick of Cerulean. Now, begin!"_

"Golduck, let's get ready to stomp Saffron!" Brent exclaimed as he tossed the poké ball into the air.

Haunter appeared by Drake's side and Elyse could tell that Drake was in his 'battle mode'. He was not telling any jokes or hurling any insults. He was simply standing confidently against his opponent. Elyse wondered what he was thinking. She wanted to know if he was nervous on the inside or if his demeanor was actually the real deal.

"Sucker punch!" Drake commanded.

Haunter vanished with a frightening amount of speed and reappeared beside Golduck before slamming an ethereal fist into the water duck's face. Golduck let out a cry of pain and went tumbling to the ground.

"Come on, Golduck!" Brent shouted as the Pokémon got to his feet. "Water pulse!"

"Confuse ray!" Drake countered.

Golduck opened his hands and began charging the blue ball of energy. Unfortunately, he made eye contact with Haunter and immediately fell into a stupor. The water pulse backfired and Golduck was hit with his own attack.

"What the hell?!" Brent yelled. "Golduck snap out of it!"

Golduck stood up and stumbled around in his confused state. Drake looked at Haunter and gave him a nod. Instantaneously, a black ball of shadow energy formed in between Haunter's hands and he fired it at Golduck, sending him back to the ground. Before the Pokémon could recover, he was hit by another shadow ball.

"Third time's the charm," Drake remarked. "Alright, Haunter, let's finish this up! Shadow ball, max power!"

Haunter formed a shadow ball twice the size of the first two and fired it at Golduck. The water Pokémon's screech of pain was heard throughout the arena and it was clear who the victor was. Elyse always found herself impressed on how quickly Drake's battles would end. He did not drag things out or try to show off for the crowd. He kept his opponent from getting the upper-hand and Elyse thought it was something that a lot of other trainers on battle teams needed to learn how to do.

"_The winner is Drake Hicks and the first point goes to Saffron!"_

The crowd erupted into cheers as Drake thanked Haunter for his tremendous effort before recalling him. He tried to shake hands with Brent, but the Cerulean trainer shrugged him off. Elyse was stunned at how unsportsmanlike they were. She assumed that Johnny and the older trainers were exaggerating how bad Cerulean was, but now she was starting to see some truths in their assertions. Drake did not seem to care though. He simply made his way back to the sidelines and rejoined the rest of the team.

"Damn, Drake, you were ruthless!" Xander said. "That's what I like to see! Drake the fucking Dragon!"

"You straight up embarrassed him!" Loki added. "He's going to be feeling that loss in the morning!"

"Thanks, guys," Drake told them before turning to Elyse. "Your turn. I know you'll own Cerulean."

"Be sure you don't lose your nerves," Johnny informed her. "Your opponent is known for psyching people out, so I made sure I chose someone who won't let people get inside her head. I know you can do it, McKinley. Good luck."

Knowing that she had the encouragement of her team members made Elyse feel much more confident as she stepped out onto the field. It was then that she knew that she had to win at all cost. Losing was not an option. While Elyse did not care about the Saffron-Cerulean rivalry, she still wanted to win. Even though she did not consider herself some sort of prodigy, she was confident that all of her training would pay off.

"_Attention ladies and gentlemen! The second battle is about to begin! We have Elyse McKinley of Saffron against Rita Manson of Cerulean! Now, begin!"_

Rita sent a Persian out into battle and Elyse called for Taku. Normal type Pokémon were unpredictable due to the variety of moves that they were capable of learning so Elyse would have to stay on her toes.

"If I were you, I would have called for something a little stronger than Nincada," Rita started. "There's no way he's going to be able to match up with Persian. For instance, fake out!"

Persian rushed up to Taku and clapped her paws, sending the bug Pokémon flying backwards. Thinking quickly, tuning out the crowd, and focusing solely on the battle would be the only way to get an advantage early on.

"Fury swipes!" Rita called out.

"Harden!" Elyse commanded.

Taku took the first swipe, but was able to withstand the rest as his defense grew. Taking a page from Drake, Elyse pointed down and Taku began digging underground. Non-verbal communication was definitely a useful asset in battle as it made it less likely that your opponent would interrupt your Pokémon's attack.

"Persian, stay on guard!" Rita ordered.

"Up!" was all Elyse said.

Taku quickly emerged from the ground and used metal claw on Persian before retreating back under the ground. He repeated the process several more times, each time coming up from a different location in the ground. Persian had taken quite a large amount of damage and the battle was squarely in Elyse's favor.

"Swift!" Rita shouted. "Do it into the holes on the ground."

Persian slashed her tail and multiple bright yellow stars went into the holes on the field that led underground. The force from the attack drove Taku up from underground and into the air. He collided with the dirt and Elyse could see that the fall almost had as much impact as the attack did.

"Taku, are you-"

"Screech!"

Persian emitted a positively horrid screech. Even Elyse found herself covering her ears from the sound. Rita quickly began going on and on about how this battle was over as Persian began to use bite several times on Taku. She followed up with several ferocious fury swipes, but somehow Elyse's Nincada endured the attacks and managed to roll to safety.

"Quick, Taku!" Elyse commanded. "Use-"

Taku suddenly let out a sound that his trainer had never heard from him before and starting glowing brightly. Elyse's eyes widened as Taku's form began to change shape and a large smile crept upon her face when she saw the wings emerging. The crowd gasped as the glow faded and Elyse found herself gazing at her newly evolved Ninjask.

"No…way…!" Rita screamed.

"_Now_, the battle is over," Elyse told her. "Bug bite! One bite for every fury swipe."

Taku's speed was so fast that even Elyse could barely see when he bit Persian the first time and she knew from his ability that he would only get faster. The cat Pokémon tried to swipe at the Ninjask, but Taku's speed was too great. Elyse saw that the bite on Persian's left side did the most damage and she knew how to end the battle.

"Persian get a hold of yourself!" Rita shouted. "C'mon, bite!"

"Metal claw, Taku!" Elyse commanded. "Right on Persian's left side, full power!"

Elyse did not even see the attack happen. Taku vanished from sight and the next thing she saw was Persian lying on the ground, defeated.

"_The winner is Elyse McKinley and the second point goes to Saffron!"_

The crowd cheered even louder this time around. Elyse looked over to the cheerleaders and received a thumbs up from Amelie and a bubble fist pump from Mike. She smiled at them and gave them a nod before turning her attention back to Taku. Rita had already vacated the field, but Elyse did not dwell on it.

"Well," Elyse said as she gave Taku a gentle pat on the head. "We've come a long way from the 'accidental' capture, huh? You have no idea how proud of you I am. Now, let's-"

Elyse was cut off by the empty poké ball attached to her waist opening itself. The mysterious Pokémon materialized and Elyse and Taku witnessed the Shedinja staring at them with its hollow eyes. In the heat of the battle, Elyse had completely forgotten about this little side effect of a Nincada's evolution, but she accepted the surprise graciously.

"Um, welcome to the family, Shedinja…" Elyse told it. "Alright, guys, we better clear out. The double battle is up next…"

* * *

**A/N: And there we go. Another chapter down. Battle chapters always take time for me to get out, so I appreciate all the patience. Plus, school is a nightmare as usual, but this time it's definitely like a super nightmare. Oh well, we all have to go through it. Anyway, part two is even going to be more epic with a double battle and a three-on-three battle, so definitely be on the lookout for that one!**

**The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were: Tyler West and Elyse McKinley.**

**As always, feel free to come to the forum to discuss the story some more or any other questions you might have.**

**Later! **


	7. Cerulean Catastrophe: Part 2

**A/N: Warning for some violence.**

* * *

**Cerulean Catastrophe: Part 2**

Ellie could still hear the crowd cheering for Elyse even after she had returned from the field. She considered herself to be especially skilled when it came to double battles, but working with Nat after everything that had transpired between them proved to be one of the most difficult things Ellie could have imagined. Drake and Elyse's triumphs only increased the pressure that she was feeling, but it also gave her the determination to overcome her anxiety.

"_You ready to head out there?" _

Nat entered the room, keeping his distance. It was always hard to know what he was thinking. It didn't help that they had only dated for a short time, so there was still a lot that Ellie did not know about him. Regardless, she knew that she had to put their issues to the side for the good of the team.

"Yeah…" she took a deep breath. "I'm ready. Let's go…"

The moment she stood up, Ellie heard her phone going off inside of her bag. She motioned Nat to head on to the field before seeing the unfamiliar number on her phone. Her face immediately twisted in anger. With the pressure of everything that she had been dealing with, Ellie now found herself extremely and uncharacteristically irate.

"Listen!" she shouted into the phone as she answered it. "I don't know who you are or what your game is, but I'm tired of this crap. I'm going to the cops!"

"_Wait! That's not necessary. I'll explain everything, just give me some time."_

"Kind of busy right now. Even if I weren't, you've been calling me since the summer. I should have gone to the police a long time ago. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't?"

"_This isn't something we should talk about over the phone. Can we meet in person?"_

"You must be an idiot to think I'd ever meet with you in person and end up locked in your trunk. By the way, definitely going to the cops now. Later-"

"_I'm your brother!"_

"What? What…are you talking about?"

"_My name is Alex Duncan. You and I have the same mother, Elizabeth. I'm about five years older than you are. I kept going back and forth on if I was going to go through with this or not, but I guess now's a better time than ever. There's a lot of other stuff that I need to tell you in person."_

"Listen…just give me some time to sort this out…"

Ellie hung up the phone, more confused than angry now. She hadn't heard from her mother in years and was frankly satisfied with her father, stepmother, and younger half-brother. From what she could remember about her mother, Ellie could not recall any mentions of her having another child, especially not an older one.

"_Hey, El-Mo, what are you doing?"_

Ellie heard Mike's muffled voice and turned around to see her costumed friend.

"Huh?" Ellie said. "What is it?"

"The game," Mike answered. "Everyone's waiting for you to come on the field for the double battle."

Ellie's eyes widened as she bolted to the field. She had almost forgotten about the game in an instant and even all her problems that she had with Nat in the past suddenly felt insignificant. Their Cerulean opponents had a Hitmonchan and a Dusclops respectively. Ellie decided to go with Grovyle instead of Kadabra since she considered Dusclops' ghost typing detrimental to his effectiveness. Nat chose Luxio for the battle and despite making a decent combination with Grovyle, Ellie could not focus at all.

"_This is probably just some creepy joke. I should just go to the police. There's no way that guy was telling the truth. Even if he was, does it even matter? I wouldn't really care, so I don't see why he should…"_

Ellie's mind was in a turmoil and it immediately became obvious that she was not in sync with Grovyle or with Nat. The opponents capitalized and Grovyle was quickly hit with a mach punch-shadow punch combo. Nat ordered Luxio to intervene, the bluish electricity from the latter's spark attack sending the enemies retreating.

"Ellie!" he called out. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she answered. "Alright, uh, Grovyle. Let's go, leaf blade!"

"Luxio, charge!" Nat added.

Grovyle was simultaneously slashing Hitmonchan and Dusclops in order to allow Luxio to charge. The distraction worked for a moment until Dusclops overpowered Grovyle with a crushing shadow ball. He struggled to get back up, but eventually managed to stand on his feet. Slowly, Ellie felt her thoughts beginning to impair her performance again.

"_Of course, all this just had to happen now. How am I even going to be able to approach Dad with this? I don't even have anyone to ask for advice. Mike and Relena are dealing with their own problems. Maybe Drake?"_

"Ellie!" Nat called out once more. "Hey, snap out of it!"

"I'm focused!" she reassured him.

"Then what did I just say?" he asked.

"Um…you called my name…?"

"No," Nat said with a sigh. "I said that we need to focus on getting Dusclops out first before-"

"_Grovyle is unable to continue battling!"_

Ellie's eyes darted to the field where she saw Dusclops and Hitmonchan standing victoriously over her fallen Pokémon. She realized that there was another battle that was going on outside of her head. Luxio had been trying to protect Grovyle from Dusclops, but Hitmonchan was simply too fast and too distracting. Fortunately for the team, Nat swiftly took advantage of Cerulean's current gloating and commanded Luxio to take out Hitmonchan with a well-placed spark. However, he was now alone against the vicious Dusclops.

"_Hitmonchan is unable to continue battling!"_

Ellie quickly recalled Grovyle and rushed off of the field, on the verge of tears. It was all starting to catch up with her. Everything that had transpired between Nat and herself last year, the phone calls, trying to help her friends with their problems and ignoring her own. Now, on top of all of this, she had let her team and her Pokémon down.

"_Luxio is unable to continue battling! Two points for Cerulean. We are now tied going into the main event battle!"_

Once Ellie heard that, the only thing she could do was bury her hands in her face.

* * *

"_Chin up…"_

Johnny waited for Ellie to look up before he said anything else. When she did, he sat down beside her.

"Johnny…" she started. "I-I-"

"Calm down, Morris," he finished for her. "I'm not mad. This is my fault anyway. I knew that having you work with Nat would be a disaster after everything that happened between you two."

"No…that's not it," Ellie said with a sigh.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Johnny told her. "You'll have plenty more battles to win and the game's not over yet. Look, I'm not really good at this sort of thing, but everything will be just fine."

Johnny put a comforting hand on her shoulder and he noticed that Ellie did seem to relax a bit. Being nice was not his strong suit, in fact the closest he usually came was casual indifference, but he could not stand seeing people upset if he could have done something to prevent it.

"Thank you, Johnny," Ellie said with a smile. "I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Johnny remarked with a grin. "Now, I suggest you watch me avenge you and destroy Cerulean. I know that'll make you feel much better for sure."

"Yeah, it kind of would…"

Johnny gave her a nod before making his way outside. He saw his teammates as he walked, all of them looking on as he passed them. Drake, Loki, and Xander all patted him on the back, Nat fist bumped him, and even Elyse cracked a smile. Tyler was the last of his teammates that he encountered.

"Good luck," he told his friend.

"Don't need it," Johnny replied with a smirk. "But thanks for having my back."

Johnny shook hands with Tyler and felt at ease. He found it strange how their relationship had changed over the past two years. Johnny did not see Tyler as anything other than an irritating rival and now he was one of his closest friends.

"I'm not sure if you heard about it," Tyler said. "Guy Wullinger's older cousin is here. He showed up during the double battle."

"Holt!" Johnny nearly shouted, his nonchalant exterior momentarily cracked. "I thought he was locked up!"

"You know him?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, we got into it with him when he was with Guy last year," Johnny answered. He regained his composure. "But I'm not scared of that lunatic. As a matter of fact, I'm glad he's here. I'm going to embarrass Guy even further now…"

"_HAWKINS! HAWKINS! HAWKINS!"_

The crowd erupted when Johnny appeared on the field. This was one of the few times in his life that he felt alive. Most teenagers would be embarrassed to have their mother cheering so loudly for them, but Johnny was proud to see his mother in the audience. As a surgeon, she was often busy, but she always made time for Johnny's games.

"Let's do this!" he shouted.

Johnny was called the flashiest trainer in Kanto for a reason. Whether he won or loss, there was definitely going to be a show. He even approached the cheerleaders at the sidelines and engaged in a group hug.

"Just don't get too full of yourself," Jennifer reminded him before planting a kiss on his lips. "Good luck."

There was one part about the main event battle that Johnny did not care for and it was the obligatory handshake that the two competing trainers had to do. He wouldn't have too much of an issue if he had to shake hands with a battler he respected like the Celadon or Vermilion teams. Since he had no respect for Guy Wullinger and hated him as a person, it was much harder for Johnny to swallow his pride and shake the other trainer's hand and it was obvious that Guy felt the same way.

"Get ready to lose…" he whispered to Johnny as they shook hands.

"I'm glad your cousin is here," Johnny replied. "He gets to watch me embarrass you and trust me, I'm _going_ to embarrass you. You're not going to want to compete for the rest of the year after I'm finish with you."

Guy responded with a rough shove that sent Johnny onto the ground. He managed to catch Guy with a quick jab to the gut before they were broken apart by the referee. This only served to entice the animosity between the two crowds.

"_Hey, Cerulean should be disqualified!"_

"_Come on, Wullinger, stomp Saffron!"_

"_Saffron! Saffron!"_

"_Cerulean! Cerulean!"_

Luckily, the announcer put an end to the conflict, if only for a moment.

"_Attention ladies and gentlemen! The final battle is now underway! This will be a three-on-three contest. We have Johnny Hawkins of Saffron versus Guy Wullinger of Cerulean! Now, begin!"_

Johnny called on Houndoom while Guy sent out a Marowak to start off with. It was clear that he had expected Johnny to use his most frequently seen Pokémon first and had chosen Marowak for the type advantage.

"Bone Club!" Guy commanded. "Beat Houndoom into a pulp!"

Marowak charged at Houndoom and Johnny instantly threw away his strategy for the opportunity to quickly humiliate Guy. He waited until Marowak was within point blank range of Houndoom before he gave the command.

"Inferno, max power!"

Houndoom opened his mouth and unleashed the hellish blue and purple flames out of his mouth. The intensity of Houndoom's strongest attack was felt even by the spectators as they moved to shield themselves from the flames. Marowak was hit directly and even if he somehow managed to last, the burn would certainly finish the ground Pokémon off.

"_Marowak is unable to continue battling!" One point for Saffron!"_

Before Johnny could even react, Guy already had Manectric on the field. The electric Pokémon was much faster than Marowak and was already sending attacks at Houndoom. He dodged the discharge, but it was only a distraction for the thunder fang. Johnny heard his Pokémon howl in pain as Manectric continued biting savagely into his neck.

"Shake 'em off, Houndoom!" Johnny commanded.

Houndoom eventually slipped free of Manectric's grip, but the aftershocks of the attack told Johnny that he had been paralyzed. Houndoom was tough though and this wouldn't be too much of a hindrance if Johnny sharpened up. The score was 3-2 and if Manectric was defeated, he wouldn't even have to use his other two Pokémon.

"Dark Pulse!" Johnny said.

"Discharge," Guy countered.

The waves of dark and electrical energy collided and the blast was tremendous enough that Johnny had almost gotten caught in the crossfire. Both Pokémon had been hurt, but Houndoom had taken the brunt of the damage. He slowly stood back up before letting out a howl and collapsing onto the ground.

"_Houndoom is unable to continue battling! One point for Cerulean!"_

Johnny recalled Houndoom and congratulated his companion for the hard work. He knew that his obsession with beating Guy was clouding his judgement, but Johnny was too in the moment to even care. He called upon Scizor to avenge Houndoom and one immediate well-connected bullet punch had Manectric flying back into Guy.

"_Manectric is unable to continue battling! One point for Saffron! This is the final moments. If Saffron gains the next point, they win the game. If Cerulean gains the next point, we will go into sudden death!"_

"Enough of this!" Guy shouted in frustration as he chucked a poké ball in the air. "Skuntank, let's go!"

The moment that the skunk materialized, the horrible smell overwhelmed everyone in the arena. Johnny had to cover his nose with his shirt just so that he could even focus. Luckily, Scizor was unaffected and that was what really mattered. Johnny knew that he was getting under Guy's skin just by beating him and if he started taunting him more, it would throw him off his game. He gave a nod to Scizor, who immediately rushed Skuntank with an iron head.

"Skuntank is a perfect Pokémon to represent was a shithole Cerulean is!" he said loudly, not caring that he angered the other people from Cerulean who were at the battle games.

"Flamethrower!" Guy ordered.

The iron head had managed to stun Skuntank on impact but he had recovered and was now sending flamethrower after flamethrower at Scizor, hoping to get a hit. Johnny for his part, continued his taunting as Scizor dodged the attacks.

"You know," he continued. "Celadon has the rich kids, Fuchsia has the badasses, and Saffron is the best! But poor…Cerulean. Arceus, what a shitty place to live! We have the hotter gym leader, better looking neighborhoods, and-

Johnny was suddenly interrupted by a rough shove from behind. He looked up to see several students from Cerulean jumping off the bleachers and onto the field. Tyler was the first person from Saffron to enter the field, helping Johnny to his feet as the fighting erupted. Johnny saw Xander taking on two Cerulean students by himself, Drake and Loki throwing punches at the Cerulean trainers who were attacking them, and Nat wrestling on the ground with another one. Ellie was being jumped by three of the Cerulean girls, but was quickly rescued by Elyse, Nadine, and Relena. Whereas Elyse and Nadine simply got the girls off of Ellie, Relena grabbed the third one by the hair, dragged her around, and then slammed her knee into her face. Johnny even saw Mike was scrapping with Benji the Beedrill with a ferocity that shocked him. In mere moments, there were dozens of students from both schools on the field. Johnny's first thought was to grab Jennifer and get her away, but when he saw Guy smirking at him from across the field, he bolted at him.

"Come and get it, Johnny-Boy!" he sneered as he took off running.

Johnny followed Guy off the field until they reached the parking lot. He lost sight of his enemy behind the rows of cars and began frantically searching for him. He was going to make him pay for ruining the game. Since Guy obviously didn't want a Pokémon battle, Johnny thought that the better alternative would be to beat him within an inch of his life. He didn't even care that there were Cerulean students who had followed him out. They quickly surrounded him and he counted four. It didn't matter how outnumbered he was, he would tear through them all if it would help him get to Guy.

"_Need some help?"_

A triumphant grin formed on Johnny's face as he heard the familiar voice of his best friend, Craig Kelton.

"_Oh shit, it's Craig!"_

"_Screw this, I'm out!"_

The four Cerulean students quickly fled in different directions. Johnny couldn't believe that he actually benefitted from Craig's bad reputation for once. Regardless, he was happy to see him.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," Johnny said.

"Xander texted me when Holt showed up during the double battle," Craig explained. "I knew I had to get here with that psycho loose. I dropped Lilly off and went by Sid's to get something that might help if we can't get to our poké balls-"

He stopped when the two of them were approached by Amelie and Lyndon. Johnny already knew what was about to come out of Amelie's mouth and he was not in the mood to listen to her preach.

"Save it," he told her before she even had a chance to speak. "I'm going to find Guy and I'm going to kick his ass and you're not going to stop me."

"Just listen to me, Johnny," Amelie said. "Jennifer sent me after you because she wants to make sure you don't get hurt. The game is over, we won. Let's just go home."

"By disqualification," Johnny shot back. "That's worse than losing."

"Get out of here, McKinley," Craig told her rudely. "This is a war, not a peace summit. You should be ashamed. Your little sister has more loyalty to her school than you do."

"She wasn't even talking to you!" Lyndon snapped, surprising Johnny, Amelie, and even Craig. "Mind your own business!"

"You gonna make me?" Craig challenged.

"Yeah, I am!" Lyndon answered.

He stepped to Lyndon and Amelie put herself in between the two boys. Before the conflict could intensify, the four of them were distracted by the dark blue car that was approaching them. The car stopped and the doors to the driver's and passenger's seats opened. Guy stepped out of the passenger's side while the driver emerged as well.

"Long time no see, Holt…" Craig said.

Holt was about a year or two older than they were. He had beady dark eyes, brown hair kept in a buzz cut, and a stocky build. Johnny was well aware of his reputation for being insane, but was not going to back down from him. If he had to take out Holt first to get to Guy, he would.

"See you went for reinforcements," Johnny told Guy.

"So did you," he countered.

"They're just here to watch me pound you into the next century. Holt, you can snap pictures if you want, but your cousin's going down."

"See here, Johnny-boy," Holt said coolly. "You started all of this by running your mouth about Cerulean and I really can't take that laying down. So, if you want my cousin, you're going to have to go through me."

"No Pokémon," Craig interjected. "You and Johnny. One-on-one fight. If he wins, we get Guy."

"Johnny," Amelie pleaded. "Come on, let's just go. Think about Jennifer and your mom."

"Don't listen to her," Craig said. "Man up and end these clowns. I'm right here if you need me."

Amelie was right and there was no rationalization that could make her wrong, but Johnny couldn't turn away now. With Craig, Guy, and Holt here, he would be branded a coward if he left. He closed his eyes in resignation before marching up to Holt and throwing a punch. Holt blocked the blow and hit Johnny in the stomach.

"Come on Johnny!" Craig yelled. "Get him!"

Holt grabbed Johnny from behind, but he elbowed the older teen in the face as hard as he could. Blood ran down Holt's nose as he lost his grip. Johnny broke free and slammed Holt against his car. Johnny held him there and began kneeing Holt, who was struggling to move. Holt managed to get his hand into his pocket and Johnny heard Lyndon shout his name. He suddenly felt a sharp pain, more painful than anything he had ever experienced, in his side and collapsed onto the ground. Johnny looked up and saw the blade in Holt's hands, dripping red with blood, his blood.

"Johnny!" Amelie cried as she rushed to his side. "Lyndon, call for help now!"

"What the hell?!" Guy shouted at Holt as the latter quickly jumped into his car.

Craig rushed at the car with a fury like never before, cursing and threatening death on the Cerulean brutes. Guy hastily got in before Craig could reach him. Johnny was breathing heavily, clutching his stab wound, as he continued bleeding onto the pavement. He saw the car speed off, but nothing could have prepared him for what came next. Craig reached inside of his jacket and retrieved the 'something' that he had gotten from Sid Moriarty.

"Craig!" Amelie shouted in horror. "Don't!"

He was beyond the point of reasoning. In a blind rage, he fired the gun at the car, hitting the right tail light and shattering the back mirror. He chased after the car for a bit, firing a few more times before they managed to get away. Everyone had known what Craig had been up to hanging out with Sid Moriarty's gang, but they did not know he had become this involved. In that moment, Johnny realized that Craig Kelton had graduated from being a school bully into a full-fledged criminal. In that moment, he realized that he should have listened to Amelie…

* * *

**A/N: I was asked if there was more gray to the Saffron/Cerulean conflict and the answer is yeah. The Saffron kids do just as much to instigate the Cerulean kids. The darker sides of our 'heroes' are coming out and it's only going to become more prominent from here. I like that we don't get everyone's P.O.V. since it makes things much more shocking when we learn what characters like Craig get up to 'offscreen'. Still, definitely a downer ending for Ellie and especially Johnny, though I think he's definitely going to be forced to learn now while he recovers.**

**The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were: Ellie Morris and Johnny Hawkins**

**As always, feel free to come to the forum and discuss! **

**Until next time! **


	8. Aftermath: Part 1

**Aftermath: Part 1**

The games had been a complete catastrophe. All of Tyler's efforts to keep everything running smoothly ending in complete failure. Because Cerulean had been the ones to strike first by jumping onto the field and attacking Johnny, they had been suspending from the battle games by the Kanto School Board for the remainder of the year. However, Saffron had not gotten off lightly either. Like Cerulean, their school was facing the possibility of a yearlong suspension and the principal had canceled several upcoming events as punishment.

Of course Johnny's recovery was more important than the games. Luckily, the knife had not pierced any of his vitals and Johnny was cleared to go home after a few days in the hospital, though it would still be another week before he could return to school. Jennifer had been tasked with bringing in all the class work that Johnny missed while he was in the hospital. Now that he had finally returned home, everyone decided to go check on him throughout the week.

"It's two…" Tyler muttered as he checked the time. "Hope I'm not too early…"

He recalled his Arcanine that he had been riding to his poké ball and went to knock on Johnny's door. Before he could get the chance to do so, the door opened and Tyler saw the last person that he ever expected to see walk out of Johnny's home.

"Oh, it's you…" Felicity Cole remarked nonchalantly. "Hello, Tyler..."

"Um, hello, Felicity," he greeted, slightly caught off guard. "Did you come to see Johnny?"

"I did…" she answered with a cordial nod. "I mean, my father pretty much made me, so it's not like I had much of a choice…Anyway, Johnny and I have never exactly been the best of friends, but it's not like he deserved to get stabbed, especially by some Cerulean lunatic. I didn't know what kind of gift to get him, so I just bought him a football. I assume that's what all you ignorant boys like."

Tyler could see that Felicity wasn't telling the whole truth about being forced to visit Johnny. He knew she likely came on her own accord, but did not want anyone to know that she was actually concerned about a classmate. It puzzled him why she would behave this way, but there were a lot of things about Felicity that confounded him. Still, there was no point in pressing her about it.

"It was very noble of you to come even if you were forced to," Tyler told her with a slight smile. "I'm sure Johnny appreciated it."

Felicity nodded her head before suddenly looking away, seemingly deep in thought. She took a few steps forward and passed Tyler without replying to his statement. Just when he thought she was about to leave, she turned back around and faced him, her normal indifferent expression replaced by one of concern.

"Listen…" Felicity said in a soft tone. "Craig came over my house after the…incident and told me everything. Amelie's probably going to say whatever she can to make him look like a monster, but you know he was only thinking about Johnny when he did what he did…"

Tyler found it quite convenient that Craig failed to mention what else had taken place. He remembered arriving on the scene just in time to see Johnny in a pool of blood and Craig fleeing before the police arrived. Tyler also noted that Craig didn't tell Felicity that he was the one who had goaded Johnny into fighting in the first place. He knew that being angry wouldn't change what happened, but Tyler was upset about Craig's interpretation of the events.

"I'm sure you can trust that Craig told you the absolute truth…" he remarked coolly. "I suppose he's the real victim in all of this from what he told you."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Felicity snapped, her expression darkening.

"What do you think it means?" Tyler challenged. "I stayed with Johnny until help arrived while Craig ran off. He certainly wasn't thinking of Johnny then."

"Well, I'm sure Amelie told you the absolute truth," she countered. "Because precious Amelie McKinley could never be wrong about anything. Stop acting high and mighty because you're not. I know that you didn't show up until after everything had happened, so you have just as much information as I do. Amelie clearly has it out for Craig and you're even stupider than she is if you don't believe that. The only thing she wants is attention and she knows it's easy to get by attacking him."

"Do you honestly think that Craig Kelton could give someone reliable information over Amelie or _any_ semi-decent person for that matter?" Tyler replied, noticing that his own calm composure was starting to falter. "Johnny could have died and you are letting your hate for Amelie cloud your judgement about the situation. You claim to dislike her so much, but you do it to the point to where it seems that you let her every move influence your life."

The moment the last sentence left his lips, Tyler instantly regretted it. The look on Felicity's face actually frightened him a bit and her dark eyes looked almost black. It was a look of absolute rage. He had never known that someone so beautiful could look as terrifying as Felicity Cole did in that moment. He almost wished that she would just yell at him instead of stare at him like she was doing.

"I don't know what you see in her…" Felicity finally uttered in a cold fury. "Oh wait, I do. You obviously enjoy mediocrity. What a waste of looks and talent. I see what Daddy meant when he said that your parents consider you an embarrassment to them…"

There were not many things that shook his nerves, but Felicity's statement pierced Tyler to his core. He watched in a stunned state as she walked off and did not turn back. He knew that his parents ran in the same business and social circle as Felicity's father, but he didn't know that they told other people about him. While his parents did not approve of his extracurricular activities, Tyler assumed that they had the decency to be proud of him in other areas or at the very least not mention their disappointment to others. For over five years, he had watched Felicity tear down people with her words, but he had always thought himself untouchable. He had been proven wrong today. What made it worse for Tyler was the realization that Amelie dealt with Felicity's comments every single day and brushed it off like it was nothing, yet he could not do the same.

"_Hey, West! Earth to Tyler West!"_

"_Come on, man, are you going in or what?"_

When Tyler snapped back to reality, he saw Xander and Nat standing next to him. He wondered how much time had pass since Felicity left and if he even still wanted to go inside after what had taken place. The other two boys went on in and Tyler almost did not follow them in, but he could not let one comment stop him from visiting his friend.

"Hey, Dr. Hawkins!" Xander called upon their entrance. "It's me, Xander! We're here to see Johnny!"

Johnny's mother made her way down the stairs and Tyler noted that she was not in her usual scrubs and white coat. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, tall and willowy, with dark skin and even darker hair that fell down her shoulders in waves. She was thought to be much nicer than her son, though Tyler had to admit that it did not take much effort to be nicer than Johnny.

"I'm glad you three came," she said with a smile. "Johnny's in his room. See if you can convince him to take it easy until he's at his full strength."

"Will do," Nat said.

Xander led them up the stairs and into Johnny's room. Houndoom was at his bedside and perked up when he heard them coming. However, when he saw the familiar faces of Tyler, Xander, and Nat, the canine Pokémon relaxed. Johnny was in bed tossing the football that Felicity had given him up and down. Without warning, he hurled it at Xander, who barely managed to catch it.

"My hands are too fast!" Xander shouted triumphantly as he clutched the football tightly.

Johnny let out a grunt and momentarily grabbed his side. The way he threw the ball likely contributed to his pain and Tyler had to keep himself from pointing out the sheer stupidity of that act.

"Man, I hate this so much!" Johnny ranted. "I've been stuck in bed for days, I can only eat certain foods, and I have no idea what's going on outside. It's driving me crazy! Come on, tell me what's been going on."

"What do you want to know?" Nat questioned. "You already know that they arrested Holt for shanking you and that Cerulean has been banned from the games for the remainder of the school year."

"We might be banned too," Xander reminded him. "It all depends on what the school board decides."

Johnny groaned in frustration and Tyler thought that he was about to pound his fists into his head, he was so irate. Being confined to a bed had to be a nightmare for a person who hated boredom as much as Johnny did. Tyler was sure that it was driving him insane.

"You talk to Craig?" Nat asked him.

"Haven't seen or heard from him since that night," Johnny answered with a frown. "It's whatever though. It's not like he has anything to worry about. I'm not going to snitch on him or anything like that if that's what he's worried about."

"Everyone is talking about him at school though," Xander interjected. "Either he's a complete maniac for what he did or a total badass, no middle ground. Some people are even saying that he should've got 'em…"

Johnny didn't reply to that comment, but Tyler was aware that Xander was telling the truth about what people were talking about in school. The conversation quickly shifted to more comfortable topics, but Tyler found himself zoning out. He had not planned on staying long from the beginning, but at this point, he would rather be at home.

"Hey, West," Johnny called out. "Are you alright, man?"

"I'm just going to head home," Tyler replied. "I'll come back in a few days…"

"Uh, okay then," Johnny said. "Guess I'll see you later."

Tyler nodded before making his way out of the room and down the stairs. Dr. Hawkins was organizing all of the gifts that were crowding the living room. They were from family members, associates of his parents, and all the friends in Kanto that Johnny had met throughout the years. It definitely proved that he was extremely popular and Tyler found himself wondering why Johnny always seemed so bored with everything in life. He literally had everything that a sixteen year old could want.

"There's even more stuff crowding the kitchen," Dr. Hawkins remarked when she noticed Tyler staring at all of the gifts. "I have tons of thank you cards to sign and two gallbladders to remove this week. I can't wait for all of that. Oh well, I suppose I shouldn't be complaining. I have it a lot easier than many Pokémon doctors and it's nice to know that Johnny has so much love. Thank you for looking after him, Tyler. He probably won't say it, but I know that Johnny appreciates your friendship."

If Johnny did not resemble his mother so much, Tyler would swear that he was adopted based on personality alone. Regardless of his temperament, Johnny had been a bigger influence on his life than the other way around. Things were not perfect, but Tyler had more fun and excitement in the past few years than he had ever had.

"Can you tell Johnny that I'll be back tomorrow?" Tyler suddenly requested. "First thing after school."

"Of course," Dr. Hawkins told him. "His father will be here by then so he should be in a better mood."

Tyler walked out of the front door and reached for a poké ball. His Arcanine, Fuego, would keep him company on the way home, but he was not going to ride on his back. Tyler was in a slightly better mood after talking to Johnny's mother, but he was certainly not in a rush to get home.

* * *

"_Alright, everyone lay your cards down…"_

After everything that had taken place over the course of the last few weeks, the card game was a welcomed distraction for Ellie. She was playing with the others at the table in Mike's backyard that Friday afternoon while the Pokémon wrestled around in the grass.

"I drew electric type!" Mike gloated. "Only one weakness. The snowman is definitely safe this round."

"Steel type," Drake declared. "Three weaknesses. I think it's looking good for me."

"Fairy for me," Relena stated. "Only two weaknesses. Ellie, let's see what you have."

"Ugh," Ellie groaned as she put her card on the table. "Ice type…"

"That's four weaknesses, El-Mo," Relena told her with a grin. "You know the rules. Take something off…"

"Fine," Ellie said with a shrug as she stood up. "This is a win for me as far as I'm concerned. It was getting too hot out here anyway."

She pulled her black sweatpants down in one swift movement and tossed them in the pile of clothes in the empty chair.

"Not bad, Ellie," Drake complimented with a smirk. "Your legs look really good in those plaid boxers. If you quit now, I'll let you sit on my lap until we finish."

Ellie didn't know if Drake was actually flirting with her or if he was just satisfied that he was finally beating her in a game after ten years of failure. Nevertheless, she took it in stride and retook her seat. The game wasn't over yet and since she lost the previous round, she had to deal the cards.

"I'm going to go see Johnny in a bit," Ellie told the others as she shuffled the cards. "Drake, are you still going with me?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I still can't believe everything that happened. I never knew that Cerulean would have the guts to actually stab Johnny. I can't really blame Craig for what he did. I don't know how I'd be if one of you guys got hurt in front of me."

"Well if you ask me," Mike interjected. "The cops should've shown up and taken Guy, Holt, and Craig to jail. I mean seriously, there were a million better ways that Craig could have handled the situation and that greaseball chose the worst one. Not to mention that he instigated the whole thing in the first place."

"I don't know, babe," Relena spoke up. "Obviously he shouldn't have pulled out a gun and fired at those guys, but you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to protect people important to you."

Ellie was not surprised by the position her friends took on the issue. Drake and Relena inserted themselves into Craig's shoes and made their judgements based on that. Despite the way he had been acting lately, Mike's general benevolent temperament made him realize the other alternatives could have been taken which Ellie agreed with. However, the fact that Mike hated Craig and was not likely to sympathize with him in any situation was also taken into consideration.

"I got an update on my family drama if any of you guys are interested," Ellie said after she finished dealing the cards. "You guys are not going to believe this."

While Ellie knew that it would probably be wiser to keep her mouth closed, she had already told her friends about the mystery behind the phone calls anyway. She rationalized it away on the basis that the four of them did not keep secrets from each other and that they would be concerned about her.

"So," she continued. "It turns out that my…_that_ woman was still married to my half-brother's dad when she married my dad and got pregnant with me. Alex told me that he found out that his parents scammed my dad out of a lot of cash. My dad knew about her taking his money and leaving, but he didn't know about the other stuff. If it hadn't been for Mike's dad, Dad we would have went bankrupt after she disappeared…"

Mike's expression shifted when he heard Ellie mention his father.

"My dad?" he said in confusion. "What did he do?"

"He loaned my dad the money that helped him keep the house," Ellie answered. "A lot of good things happened because of that. My dad met the best woman in the universe, I ended up having a little brother a few years later, and I was able to keep living across the street from my best friend. All thanks to your dad, Mike."

Mike was not on good terms with his parents, but Ellie hoped that he would understand that they were not the worst people alive. More importantly, the two of them would have never met had their fathers not been such good friends.

"So where's Alex now?" Relena asked. "Didn't you say that he's about the same age as Mike's sister?"

"Yeah, he's like nineteen or twenty," Ellie explained. "He cut off all connection with his parents and he's a roaming trainer right now. He traveled around the world two years ago on a ship with a bunch of other trainers and get this, he even said that he was on the ship with Sid Moriarty's ex-girlfriend. He even told me that he helped her stop a bunch of psychotic poachers that were trying to abduct water Pokémon."

Ellie thought that last part was fabricated, but Alex definitely told the story like it was the truth. Everything else he told her turned out to be factual, but she could not fully believe a bunch of seventeen year olds could take on poachers. She knew that the criminal empire Team Rocket had been broken up by a child seven years younger than that, but that was a once in a lifetime event.

"_Okay, what is going on out here?!"_

The voice was one that Ellie had heard many times in the past. She turned to see the person who had joined them in the backyard. It was a young woman with the same olive skin and hazel eyes as Mike. She had long, sleek, black hair and Ellie remembered her being much taller in the past. She was aware that the young woman wasn't shrinking and that it was the fact that they were growing.

"Julie?!" Mike exclaimed as the Pokémon rushed over to embrace his older sister. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"The better question is why do I see a bunch of half-naked teenagers sitting at my table?" Julie asserted. "Can you answer that for me, Mikey?"

"You move out, I get the table," Mike answered simply. "I can do whatever I want with it. As a matter of fact, the entire backyard is mine now. So, why don't you hop on the Magnet Train and go back to Goldenrod, old lady."

"Don't listen to him, Julie," Drake offered. "I say you pull up a chair and join us."

"Nice try," she said. "Alright, everybody get dressed. Come on, put your clothes on."

Mike opened his mouth to argue but only let out a few muttered curses before they all stood up and got dressed. Ellie was thankful since she looked at her card and ended up with the grass type, but couldn't help but think that she wouldn't mind Julie accepting Drake's offer and joining them in their game.

"Ellie, you ready to head over to Johnny's?" Drake asked her once he put his shirt on. "Might as well go while the sun is still up."

"Yeah, let's go," Ellie replied. She turned to Mike and grinned. "Enjoy your company, 'Mikey'."

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled before turning back to his sister. "Why are you here?"

"Lots of reasons," Julie told him. "But first and foremost, you and I need to have a serious talk."

"And I think that's my cue to leave too," Relena decided before giving Mike a quick kiss on the cheek and making her way out of the gate.

Ellie and Drake followed suit, recalling their Pokémon and leaving the Snowe siblings to their own devices. While they walked down the street, Ellie's mind drifted to Johnny and how he had cheered her up after losing her battle. If nothing else, she felt that she should at least visit him while he recuperated.

When they arrived outside of Johnny's house, Ellie discovered that they were not the only two people who came to check on him. She saw two teenage boys, a bit older than them, approaching, an extremely large Ninetales walking along with them. Instantly, Ellie and Drake could tell that they were not from Saffron, but as far as they knew, they didn't seem to be anyone they knew from Cerulean either.

The first boy was tall and attractive with copper colored hair and jade green eyes while the boy behind him was thin and black-haired with steel blue eyes. There was something about them that told Ellie that they were not just ordinary guys hanging around. The first boy looked familiar, especially walking besides that Ninetales, but Ellie could not put her finger on where she had seen him before.

"Hey!" the copper haired boy called out. "Does Johnny Hawkins live here?"

"Who wants to know?" Drake demanded. "Who are you guys?"

"We're from Celadon," the copper-haired boy answered. "Don't worry, we're not here to cause trouble. You might've heard of me before. My name is Austin Bradsher…"

* * *

**A/N: There's so much going on in these next two chapters that I thought it would be best for me to split them again. That way, we don't get an overload of stuff and I can get chapters up much quicker. Especially after what happened last chapter, adding too much would complicate things. **

**Next chapter is going to be even more intense, so get ready for it. It especially seems like characters have different attitudes about what took place, so expect that to crop up a lot more next chapter. Also, I'm likely adding another P.O.V. to make up for the shortness of this chapter.**

**The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were Tyler West and Ellie Morris.**

**As always, feel free to come to the forums to discuss the story. The next chapter, Aftermath: Part 2 is already in production, so be on the lookout. **

**Until next time!**


	9. Aftermath: Part 2

**Aftermath: Part 2**

If there was one good thing about being confined to a bed was that it gave Johnny a lot of time to think. He thought about everything in his life up until this point and wondered what his next move would be. He supposed that near death experiences tended to do that to people. As far as Craig was considered, Johnny was extremely conflicted. He knew that he should not have listened to him when challenged by Holt, but he knew that Craig had shown up to help him despite not even attending the games that night. The whole issue surrounding the gun further complicated things and it seemed like everyone had an opinion on Craig's actions that night.

"_Yo, Captain! How's that paper cut?"_

Everyone on the team had shown up over the past few days, so Johnny was not surprised to see Drake and Ellie walking into his room. He was actually happy to see them, any form of human company was greatly appreciated. He spent most of the day alone with Houndoom who was acting more like a security guard instead of a companion.

"Well, I'm not dead," Johnny answered Drake. "So there's that…"

"You'll never guess who we ran into…" Ellie told him.

Two more people entered the room and Johnny's eyes widened. He didn't recognize the black-haired boy, but he instantly knew who his companion was. Austin Bradsher, the top trainer at Celadon Trainer's School, was standing before him. The trainers at Celadon were a whole different breed than the Cerulean ones and the fact that one of their best had stepped into Saffron City was a major deal.

"Heard Cerulean decided to act like asses yet again," Austin stated before shaking Johnny's hand. "We have a major problem with those psychos from Fuchsia City, so I can definitely understand where you're coming from, Hawkins."

"Thanks for coming, Bradsher," Johnny replied. "I appreciate it."

Johnny thought that he should play it cool and address Austin just like he would anyone else. He couldn't sound too excited to see such a powerful trainer or he would look lame.

"No problem," Austin said. "We heard that the Kanto School Board is thinking about banning Saffron from the games for the rest of the year. One of your teammates has been trying to get people to rally against the proposal. She's been sending out petitions and asking the other trainer schools in Kanto for support. It caught fire and my dad said that I could have more influence if I showed up personally."

"It was Elyse McKinley," Johnny stated without a second guess. "Wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Austin answered. "How did you know?"

"It's in her blood to do all that stuff," Johnny told him. "That's really all you need to know."

Austin glanced at the black-haired guy who had come along with him. Johnny noted that he had not said a single word and even Ellie and Drake gave no indication that they even knew who he was. Johnny made it a goal to memorize every important trainer on all the teams that they faced, but he was drawing a blank on Austin's associate.

"This is Jeremy," Austin introduced the stranger. "He's a…cousin of mine visiting us for a while."

Johnny shook hands with Jeremy, but did not really question him any further. Whoever he was, it did not really matter much when someone like Austin Bradsher was in the room.

"Anyway, we better be going," Austin said. "Gotta get things ready for the meeting. Hopefully we can keep you guys from being barred. That way, you'll have a chance at making it to the championship and facing off against us."

"Try to convince them as best you can," Johnny remarked. "Because if we stay, Celadon's reign is over. We're coming for the crown, Bradsher."

Austin grinned at the three Saffron trainers before walking out of the door with Jeremy. Johnny sighed in relief once he could no longer hear their departing footsteps. He had managed to keep calm in a conversation with Austin Bradsher and not act like a fanboy. Drake was clearly more outwardly excited about the possibility of facing Celadon and did not care to hide his enthusiasm while Ellie was more reserved.

"Man, what I would do to take on Austin Bradsher in battle," Drake remarked.

"That's a good attitude to have," Johnny told him. "But you have a long way to go before you can take on someone like Austin Bradsher."

"That's what you think," Drake said quickly.

"Anyway," Ellie spoke up. "We came to see if you were okay and clearly you're doing just fine. Come on, Drake, let's get to the poké mart before it gets too late. Kadabra will get pissed if he doesn't get to pick out his spoon."

"Later, Captain," Drake said before following Ellie out the door, leaving Johnny alone with Houndoom once more.

It did not take long before Johnny found himself getting restless. The one thing he hated more than anything was being bored and being confined to his bedroom was driving him insane. He knew that he should have been angrier at Craig, but it was not as if Johnny had been forced to fight Holt. More importantly, Craig had been the main person that had brought some sort of excitement to his life. Because of this, Johnny had spent most of his time thinking about everything in his life. It was the only thing he could do.

"_Johnny...?"_

Jennifer walked into the room and greeted him with a kiss before taking a seat at the end of the bed. From the look on her face, Johnny could tell that something was bothering her. He imagined that the current situation had not been a walk in the park for her either. Johnny had never been the best at comforting others, but he had to try.

"Mom says I should be moving around pretty good in a few days," he told her with a smile. "Maybe we can go to the mall and I'll buy you everything you want. How does that sound?"

"Listen, Johnny," Jennifer said with a sigh. "A few of the Cerulean kids contacted us. Guy was one of them."

"Probably bragging about what they did," Johnny said harshly.

"No…" Jennifer continued. "There's a rumor going around that Sid Moriarty and his goons are going to drive up to Cerulean City and retaliate against them for stabbing Craig's best friend. They're all terrified! Guy begged me to talk to you."

"And…what do you want me to do about it?" Johnny questioned. "Cerulean wrecked the game and almost killed me and now they want sympathy. I don't give a shit if Moriarty burns that city to the ground!"

"First," Jennifer countered. "One person stabbed you and he's in jail. And second, listen to yourself. You don't care if he burns that city to the ground? You sound just like Craig. In fact, I bet he was the one who told Moriarty in the first place."

"You're going to accuse Craig over a rumor?" Johnny remarked. "I'm pretty sure Sid Moriarty has more important things to worry about. Besides, as badly as Craig screwed things up, he at least had my back."

"He was the reason you were stabbed in the first place," Jennifer shot back. "You said so yourself. Craig made it clear what type of path he wanted to take in life a long time ago and now he's actually going through with it. You know how I feel about violence, but I've overlooked a lot of things he's done because of you…but I can't do it anymore."

"What are you saying?" Johnny asked curiously.

"When I heard what happened to you, I broke down. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep or do anything until I knew you would pull through. I don't want to put myself in that position if you're going to be involved with someone who goes off looking for trouble. I…I…think…"

"What are you saying?" Johnny repeated. "Spit it out, Jen."

"Listen," Jennifer said with a sigh. "I don't want you associating with Craig anymore…or…"

"Or what…?"

"Or we're over…" Jennifer said clearly. "I love you, but I can't do this anymore. It's time to make a choice, Johnny. Either me or Craig."

Johnny did not know which emotion he was currently experiencing the strongest. He was sad that Jennifer had been effected so much by all that was going on, irritated that the actions of other people had interfered with every aspect of his life, and angry that Jennifer was giving him an ultimatum right on the spot.

"So I get stabbed and you threaten to dump me?" Johnny said quietly. "You want to end it just like that after two years?"

"I don't want to," Jennifer told him. "But I'm not going to be with you if you want to go running around with a criminal."

"Well that 'criminal' never once made me choose who not to hang out with even if he didn't like them," Johnny snapped. "Actually, forget about him because that's not the main issue. I can't believe you really came to me with all of this. I'm confined to a bed after a near death experience and you come in here like it's all my fault! They stabbed _me_! Guess what, Jen, Cerulean can get destroyed by a volcano tomorrow and I'll dance on the ashes! And I'm not going to let _you_ tell me what to do, I don't care who you are."

"You know what…" Jennifer started, tears welling up in her eyes. "I think I've overlooked a lot of things when it comes to you too. I'm trying to help you, but you're taking this as a personal attack. The truth is that you are a spoiled, arrogant, ungrateful, piece of work. You don't appreciate your mom for everything she does for you and you don't really appreciate anyone else for putting up with your crap. You're just not as bad as Craig. That's it. And now that the bar is set so low 'not as bad as Craig' isn't cutting it at this point. I thought Amelie could reach out to you, but I guess I was wrong. Call me when you decide to care about anyone besides yourself."

"We were getting stale anyway…" Johnny said coldly.

He instantly regretted what he said. Jennifer made her way towards the door and Johnny knew that he should stop her and apologize. However, he was past the point of reason and was reacting more out of hurt than anything else. Even when she turned back to look at him, all he could do was angrily shift his gaze.

"I'll tell Laila to give you all the stuff I've borrowed from you over the years…" Jennifer said quietly, obviously trying and failing to hold back tears.

"Keep it…" Johnny said without turning his head to face her.

* * *

Elyse had spent the last two weeks trying to convince the Kanto School Board not to go through with banning Saffron from the battling games for the year. She had hundreds of signatures on the petition, had sent flyers out to every educational facility in Kanto, and had even gather as many witnesses as she could to properly explain what had happened at the game. The meeting with the superintendent was being held in the auditorium and students from all over Kanto had shown up to support Saffron.

"Elyse, check it out," Loki told her. "That guy? Is that who I think it is?"

Elyse looked up from where she and Loki were sitting to see the one and only Austin Bradsher entering the auditorium. He and his companion were immediately the center of attention. Elyse knew of his skills as a trainer, but his father's connections were even more noteworthy.

"Let's hope everything goes right," Elyse said. "I think-"

"One sec, Elyse!" Loki interrupted as he stood up. "Really gotta go to the bathroom!"

Loki darted off and Elyse figured she should take the opportunity to make sure that everything was running smoothly. She walked out of the auditorium and was surprised by how many people were also in the hallway. Mr. Slowking noticed Elyse and quickly made his way over to her.

"_Impressive turn out, Elyse_," he told her kindly.

"Thank you," she replied. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

"_Ah, here comes the superintendent now…"_

Dr. Hutton was a short and compact woman with gray hair that framed her face and rosy pink cheeks. Elyse thought that she looked a lot like someone's kindly grandmother. She was joined by a tall and lanky man with a pointed chin and a thinning hairline. He had an irritated expression on his face and it was clear that he did not want to be there. The pair stopped by Elyse and Mr. Slowking.

"You must be Elyse!" Dr. Hutton greeted with a warm smile. "You look as pretty as your sister."

"Thank you, Dr. Hutton," Elyse replied. "I really appreciate you coming all the way to Saffron to hear our case. I hope that-"

"Just hope that your argument is convincing enough, girl," Dr. Hutton's companion snapped. "You should be lucky that we're even taken the time to hear you out when we should have abolished these pointless battle games for all the schools in Kanto."

Elyse was caught off guard by the man's rudeness and did not know exactly how to respond. Amelie was better at communicating effectively with people who disagreed with her while Elyse would prefer to just ignore them. Fortunately, Mr. Slowking was there to speak up.

"_Mr. Barclay, I do think you are overreacting. Elyse is one of my brightest students and has excelled in both academics and athletics. Please treat her with more respect."_

"Respect is earned," Mr. Barclay shot back. "Obviously if Miss McKinley here is learning from a Pokémon then it might be difficult for her to grasp that concept…"

The look on Mr. Slowking's face was almost too much for Elyse to bear. She gave Mr. Barclay a dark glare before Dr. Hutton intervened. She led Mr. Barclay into the auditorium, defusing the situation. For the first time Elyse was at a loss of words in front of her teacher. She realized that to many people, it did not matter that Mr. Slowking was a great teacher because in their minds he was 'just' a Pokémon. She had overheard a few comments about him here and there, but she paid it no mind. What made it worse for her was the fact that discrimination of this manner had been mentioned by Amelie before and now Elyse was seeing it up close. Another student had called out to Mr. Slowking and he hurried to assist him, bringing Elyse back to reality.

"_Elyse! Guess what?! Guess what?! Guess what?! You're never going to believe this!"_

Nadine rushed up to her, but Elyse did not see Lilly with her. She wondered what she was getting into since the two of them had not really hung out much lately.

"What is it?" Elyse asked Nadine.

"Get this," Nadine said. "Johnny Hawkins and Jennifer Klein broke up! All the girls are saying that Johnny's on market and they've deleted all their pictures of each other on _Pokégram_. I mean they've been dating for like two years! That's practically marriage!"

While it was not the right time or place for such news, Elyse had to admit to herself that she was a bit intrigued. Things were changing and it was clear to her that everyone needed to adapt if they were going to be able to deal with it all. She did not care for the gossip itself, but rather the effect it would have on her sister's friends. Before Nadine had time to spill out more details, they were joined by Lilly.

"Nice of you to finally show up," Nadine said to which Lilly rolled her eyes. "Where have you been?"

"None of your business," she replied.

"Still hanging out with Craig huh?" Nadine deduced quickly. "How are you going to hang out with that jerk and then turn around and show up here?"

"We went with a couple of other people to watch a battle," Lilly said. "That's all. Just because he did something stupid doesn't mean I can't understand his reasons for doing what he did. Should I be like Amelie and-"

"And what?" Elyse interrupted sharply.

She knew that she should have stopped the argument between her two friends before it even began. There were more important things to focus on, but the moment that Lilly mentioned Amelie, Elyse lost a bit of her composure.

"Am I supposed to be afraid of you, Elyse?" Lilly questioned.

"Not at all," Elyse countered. "Finish what you have to say."

"Okay," Lilly said and took a step towards Elyse. "Just because someone doesn't agree with your sister's way of seeing things doesn't make them wrong. And honestly, who really cares about some trash from Cerulean?"

"Are you listening to yourself?" Elyse said. "You sound just like Craig."

"Whatever," Lilly scoffed. "I showed up here to support you, but I'm clearly not welcomed. I'm out of here…"

She started off and Elyse made a move to stop her, but Nadine intervened.

"Screw her," she told Elyse. "You, me, and Loki can-"

"Loki…" Elyse said. "What happened to him? He told me he was going to the bathroom and I haven't seen him since."

"Probably food poisoning," Nadine suggested. "I've told that boy to stop eating everything that he can get his hands on."

"I'm going to go see if he's alright," Elyse told her. "Can you go in and make sure everything's ready to go?"

Nadine nodded before making her way into the auditorium. Elyse went to search for Loki, the first place obviously being the boys' bathroom. She knocked on the door despite the fact that her first instinct was to just barge in there and see what was going on.

"Dude, go away!" she heard Loki's voice from the other side of the door.

"Loki, it's me," Elyse replied.

"Oh, sorry," he said as he peered out of the door. "You have a really manly knock…"

Elyse could see that his face was in some sort of pain even though he tried not to show it. She wondered if Nadine was right about food poisoning.

"I came to see if you were okay," Elyse stated. "We're about to start."

"I can't do it…" Loki grunted in pain.

"Loki, what's wrong with you?" Elyse asked much more worriedly this time.

"Okay…this is going to sound gross…" Loki started. "But for the last couple of days, I've been having a tough time in the bathroom. Only number one though, so it's not super gross."

Elyse looked at him in confusion for a moment, not fazed by the so-called 'grossness' of what Loki was saying. However, when she started connecting the dots, Elyse's eyes suddenly widened like saucers.

"Loki…_when_ was the last time you were with a girl?"

"What does that have to do with…?" Loki stopped himself and his eyes widened even larger than Elyse's. "I caught something from that dirty Cerulean cheerleader at the battle game! Oh man, Elyse, what am I gonna do? If anyone finds out about this, my rep is gone. Everyone's going to think I'm disgusting! No girl is going to want to date me and the guys would never let me live this down!"

"Loki, calm down," Elyse told him. "None of that is going to happen because I'm taking you to the clinic right now."

"But what about getting them to revoke the suspension?" Loki asked. "Elyse, my rep isn't worth that much."

"No, but your health is," Elyse said. "I'll text Amelie and tell her to take control of things. Now, come on…"

* * *

Amelie felt bad that Elyse had to leave before her big moment, but was glad that she decided that looking out for her friend was more important. Elyse hadn't told her what exactly was going on with Loki, just that she had to escort him to see a doctor.

Regardless, the burden of getting Saffron reinstated in the battle games had now been placed on her shoulders. Amelie knew that she could not let the school down. Not only had the players been affected, but the Pokémon, cheerleaders, and fans had all suffered from the actions of a few individuals.

The past several weeks had not been easy for Amelie. The fallout from Johnny's stabbing had not been anything that she expected. After shooting at the retreating car, Craig had fled the scene. He was later questioned by the police, but since no one had been hit by any of the bullets and he had obviously gotten rid of the gun, Craig had not been charged with anything. Amelie knew that he would immediately turn his anger to her for giving information to the authorities. However, instead of the usual taunting, Craig just angrily glared at her whenever they were in the same vicinity. She found that even scarier than anything else. Between dealing with that, helping Elyse set up the conference, and consoling Jennifer over her break up, Amelie was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.

"Amelie, you're on in one minute," Lyndon whispered to her before exiting the stage.

There were five podiums on the stage. One for herself, Dr. Hutton, Mr. Barclay, Principal Chaubs, and Austin Bradsher respectively. Amelie looked into the audience and was impressed by the turnout She knew that she could not let her sister down regardless of how she was feeling.

"Good afternoon everyone," Amelie began, adjusting her microphone. "I want to thank you all for taking the time to come here. My name is Amelie McKinley and I'm here to speak on behalf of my sister, Elyse. Before we begin, I'd first like to introduce the other people joining me on stage. We have superintendent Dr. Hutton, Kanto educational representative Mr. Barclay, Saffron Trainer School's Principal Chaubs, and Austin Bradsher, Celadon Trainer's School battler and heir to the Bradsher estate."

"Thank you, Amelie," Principal Chaubs said before turning to the crowd. "As you are all aware, an incident occurred during the Saffron-Cerulean battle game a few weeks ago. While Saffron battler Johnny Hawkins faced off against Cerulean's Guy Wullinger, he was attacked from behind by several students from Cerulean. This led to a brawl between Saffron and Cerulean students-"

"In which one student, Johnny Hawkins himself, was stabbed by a student from Cerulean," Mr. Barclay interjected.

"With all due respect," Austin Bradsher spoke up. "I don't see what this has to do with Saffron being banned. From what we know, _they_ were attacked first. You said it yourself, Johnny was stabbed by a student from Cerulean. It appears to me that Cerulean is the aggressor in this situation. Saffron shouldn't be punished for defending themselves."

"He does have a point, Mr. Barclay," Dr. Hutton said. "It would be entirely unfair to punish Saffron with the same severity as the Cerulean school."

"But you admit that they should still be punished?" Mr. Barclay questioned. "It doesn't matter who started it, both schools are guilty of inciting violence. Let's not forget that this isn't the first time that we've had to deal with this rivalry."

"Rivalries exist between schools all over Kanto, Mr. Barclay," Austin countered. "In fact, my father has launched countless complaints against Fuchsia Trainer's School for the way they act during Celadon-Fuchsia battle games. And Fuchsia is much more dangerous than Cerulean City. If you're not going to do anything about them, then frankly both of these schools should be let off the hook."

Amelie stepped off her podium and walked to the front of the stage. She reached for a poké ball and tossed it in the air. Amelie's Leafeon, Darren, emerged and jumped into her arms. If there was any Pokémon that could calm the mood, it was him.

"Listen everyone," Amelie told the crowd. "I do not condone anything that Cerulean _or_ Saffron did that night. Violence is not something that I encourage and I think people need to learn how to handle their differences peacefully. What I think is important to take from this is that Pokémon are what helps us all come together. We're all different and we all have our issues, but we do have one thing that unites us. Through Pokémon we've all grown closer to one another. Putting our friends above all else is what we do here at S.T.S. It's like a second nature to us. In fact, the reason that my sister isn't here in the first place is because she's helping a friend right now. And we learned all this through extracurricular activities like battling where we got to know each other and each other's Pokémon. In the end, I believe the positives outweigh the negatives and Saffron should be reinstated in the battle games."

Amelie had not been expecting any applause and was pleasantly surprised when she received a standing ovation. Austin and Dr. Hutton clapped alongside the crowd while Principal Chaubs looked on indifferently and Mr. Barclay was clearly annoyed. She knew he was about to find a way to upset her mood and the moment the applause stopped, he spoke again.

"While that was a very…nice speech," Mr. Barclay remarked. "We can't let the school get off with no repercussions even if we reinstated you. It would give other schools the idea that they too can start trouble and not be held accountable."

"_Hold me accountable then…"_

The crowd was stunned to see Johnny Hawkins himself in the auditorium. Amelie knew that he still had a little while before he fully recovered and was just as surprised as everyone else to see Tyler helping Johnny towards the stage. Lyndon handed him a microphone and Johnny briefly glanced at Amelie before taking a deep breath and facing the crowd.

"For the few of you who don't know," he started. "My name is Johnny Hawkins, captain of Saffron's intermediate battling team. I was the guy who was stabbed…but I was the guy who instigated things in the first place. I behaved in a completely unsportsmanlike manner and karma made sure I paid for my mistake. The brawl only broke out because the students from this school were defending me. I take full responsibility for what happened."

Amelie wondered what made Johnny come to this decision. While he did not help matters with his constant antagonizing of Cerulean that night, Johnny had no control on the actions of the Cerulean students. Dr. Hutton, Mr. Barclay, and Principal Chaubs talked amongst themselves for a moment before they apparently came to their decision.

"Johnny," Dr. Hutton told him. "First and most importantly, I wanted to commend you for having the courage to put your school before yourself. I see what Amelie said rings true."

"We've come to a decision," Principal Chaubs added. "Saffron Trainer's School will be allowed to continue the battle games. However, Johnny will not be allowed to play on the battle team for the remainder of the school year."

"This conference is over," Mr. Barclay declared.

There were a few cheers as people began filing out of the auditorium. Saffron Trainer's School had been reinstated in the regional battle games which satisfied most people. Johnny was visibly upset, but did not protest the decision.

"Listen, Johnny," Amelie tried to talk to him.

"Not now, Amelie," Johnny sighed. "Please."

She did not press the issue. Johnny was already in enough pain and the last thing that Amelie wanted to do was unintentionally make him feel worse. Still, she was curious about what led to Johnny deciding to sacrifice one of the things he enjoyed the most in the world.

"Hey, McKinley," Austin said as he walked up to her. "You did a good job. Your sister was definitely right when she said that there's something important with you Saffron guys."

"Thanks for all the support," Amelie replied.

"Any time," Austin said, hopping off the stage and walking over to his companion. "Jeremy, let's get back to Celadon. I borrowed Anya's car without asking and she's left a ton of harsh words in my texts."

With everyone leaving, Amelie figured that she should check on Elyse and see if everything was okay with Loki. Darren had fallen asleep in her arms by this point and she cuddled the Leafeon before she exited the auditorium. Lyndon had already started home, but the students that remained in the hallways congratulated Amelie for her speech.

"_Heard you gave a good speech, McKinley. If there's one thing you're good at, it's running your big mouth…"_

It was inevitable that she would have to deal with Craig at some point. However, Amelie was so exhausted that she just glared right at him when he finished muscling himself through the crowd. She assumed that he came to interrogate her about what she said during the conference.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble?" Amelie muttered as she recalled her Pokémon to its ball.

"Oh, like you've caused me?" Craig shot back. "I had the cops on my back for days and half the school thinks I'm some type of lunatic thanks to you."

"If they think you're a lunatic then that's on you," Amelie told him. "Your name didn't even come up in the conference. You should consider yourself lucky for that. I mean, what made you even think to do what you did?"

"I was thinking that I was going to kill the people who could have killed my friend," Craig defended. "Just like I would've done if they had stabbed Xander, Nat, or Felicity. And just like I would've done if they would've stabbed you."

"I don't think I need people committing crimes on my behalf, Craig."

"Stop being such a baby about this. We walk around with creatures that breathe fire, cause hurricanes, and make earthquakes. And you're worried about a stupid gun?"

"Most Pokémon aren't going to kill someone even if their trainer orders them too. There are other ways of solving problems that don't involve resorting to violence every single time."

Craig shook his head and by now, the crowd had started to gather around the ensuing argument.

"Those Cerulean guys only understand violence. You're naïve and if it wasn't for me, you probably would have gotten yourself killed by now."

"Excuse me?" Amelie snapped.

"You heard me. Why don't we take a trip down memory lane since you seem to have amnesia? Do you remember five years ago during your first stupid protest where you chained yourself to that tree? Remember how I sent my Pokémon to chase off those assholes who were trying to disrupt it. Or how about two years ago, I saved your ass from those bikers on Cycling Road? Or maybe we should talk about six months ago when I drove you all the way to Fuchsia City for your peace rally and stayed to make sure you didn't get attacked by the psychos that live in that city. That's more than what Tyler West has ever done for you."

"Is _that_ what this is about?" Amelie questioned, angered that Craig had the audacity to bring another person into the argument.

"I'm just saying. I used 'violence' all those times to make sure you, Lyndon and all your Pokémon were alright. Look, McKinley, it's cute that you want everyone to get along, but this is the real world. After you're done with your little peace rallies and your stupid protests, you go home with your well-off family where everything is all rainbows and sunshine. You don't really care about any of those problems. You just want to make yourself feel good."

"How dare you?!" Amelie shouted. "_You_ of all people telling me that I don't care!"

The crowd went dead silent. Amelie McKinley wasn't the type to be easily angered and this level of rage from her had never been seen by anyone before. Craig had crossed the line by questioning her ethics in this fashion.

"You don't," Craig said. "And neither does Lyndon, Tyler, Johnny, Felicity, or the others. You're all spoiled little shits, but unlike you, at least the others don't try to act holier-than-thou!"

"So you think it's okay to live life the way you do? Bullying people, fighting, stealing, and breaking every law underneath the sun? I know you've had it rough, but that's no excuse from the way you've been acting!"

"You don't know a damn thing about me!" Craig yelled. "So don't act like you do! You have _no_ idea! If you were in my position, then you'd be just like me."

"No, I wouldn't," Amelie argued. "Because no matter what circumstances we're born in, we all make our own choices. And I'd never any of the things you've done no matter who I was born to."

"Easy for you to say that."

"At any moment you could've stopped the bullying, stopped the fighting, stopped the stealing. You've chosen to do all these things and what makes it worse, it's as if you don't care about your life!"

"I don't!" Craig asserted. "No one else does, so why should I?! Fuck off with your self-righteous crap."

He turned to leave and if this were any other situation, Amelie would have let him go. That was not the case this time around. She quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from going any further and Craig looked at her as if she had completely lost her mind.

"I'm. Not. Done. Talking." Amelie told him in a tone that he had never heard from her before. "You are surrounded by friends who put up with your attitude and terrible behavior every single day. Friends that you honestly don't deserve especially if you don't think they care about your life. You think _I_ don't care? We're all watching you go down this path and ruin your life. No matter what though, I haven't given up on you even if you've given up on yourself…"

With that, Amelie turned to leave. She was drained and the first thing she was going to do when she got home was crawl in bed and go to sleep. As she left campus and began walking down the sidewalk, Amelie tried her hardest to block everything that didn't have to do with getting some much needed rest out of her mind. It was only when her phone went off when she was a block away from her house that Amelie even snapped back to reality. It was a message from Elyse.

– _Hey, sis. Thanks SO much for filling in for me. I heard about what happened. Couldn't have done it without your help. Love you always! –_

Amelie smiled. Despite everything that had happened, that one message single-handedly shifted her mood. She had to take the good with the bad after all. The only way to deal with the aftermath of what had transpired was to keep pushing on.

* * *

**A/N: So, I probably should apologize for the massive hiatus. I've been pretty busy, but I'm still at it! Pretty intense chapter with a lot of stuff happening. I'll just let the chapter speak for itself.**

**The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were: Johnny Hawkins, Elyse McKinley, and Amelie McKinley.**

**As always, come to the forums to discuss this and other stories or to discuss anything you'd like really.**

**Until next time!**


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